


The Broken

by Abbeysquidd



Category: Achievement Hunter
Genre: Angst, Apocalypse, Blood and Gore, Canonical Character Death, Ya Dead Ya Dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:20:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 29,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25560490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abbeysquidd/pseuds/Abbeysquidd
Summary: Nine friends fend for themselves in the great unknown, in a post apocalyptic world, facing radiated mutants and monsters at every turn. They'll all need to stick together if they have any hope in surviving, however when you're the only people left in the world, their mental stability is the main issue they face. A new world can be beautiful, it can be deadly.(Based off of Achievement Hunters series: Ya Dead Ya Dead season one letsplay)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 27





	1. New Normal

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to my amazing editor @toepriv2 on Instagram!

Nothing was the same anymore.

The sky's light blue had been permanently set to a much dimmer tone, the boiling sun pierced the nearly destroyed atmosphere. It is the middle of the day, Geoff is walking through the woods, which are scarce nowadays. Any couple of animals was a herd, any cluster of trees was a forest. He looks for any materials to build a shelter for his friends, despite how exhausted he feels. They spent most nights scouting land or looking for a place to rebuild. 

Finally, they found a relatively safe place out in a grassy field, but Geoff isn't certain at how ideal it would be for everyone, which is why a makeshift house was their best option. 

Geoff was the one who stayed awake most nights, keeping watch for any threats. The explosion hadn't left much for them to work with, however they were managing to find semi-clean areas without _too_ much radiation. 

"Geoff?" A voice pulls Geoff from his thoughts. He turns and spots his closest friend, Jack. 

Jack looks how Geoff feels. Bags under his eyes, tired posture, sweat clung to his beard. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." Geoff sighs. "I need to find some wood..."

"Need some help?" Jack offers. 

Geoff smiles at Jack, "Yeah...I'm too old for this. I think I threw out my back picking up a _stick_ , for Christ's sake." Jack laughs in response.

The two of them together manage to bring back enough wood to where they've decided to set up camp. They found a shallow cave within a mountain, and decided to build their house within it for protection, the door leading to the outside. 

Jack began constructing the wooden walls, and chiseling the cave, so Geoff decided to work on gathering what good food was left. He heads out to a plain nearby, grass nearly growing up to his knees. It may even have some edible animals hiding within the greenery. He wishes he could say the field looked beautiful, maybe it did before, but any once pretty colors were now a duller shade of what they used to be.

As he heads into the field, he spots two more familiar faces, Trevor and Gavin, walking not too far away. Gavin's skipped with his head high, as Trevor's was down, hands stuffed in his own pockets. As they look up, they notice Geoff approach. Trevor grins at him. "Hey, Geoff! Whatcha up to?"

"Getting you morons some food." Geoff smirks back. "But believe me, letting you starve crossed my mind once or twice."

Gavin chuckles, rolling his eyes. "You want any help?" He asks.

"Sure." Geoff shrugs. "There's a lot of seeds in this field, just collect whatever you two can carry." Geoff points to the grass. "I'm gonna get some stuff from trees."

"On it!" Trevor and Gavin begin digging through the soil. The smile never leaves Geoff's face as he continues on his path towards the trees, now noticing a shiny red apple within the thick, brown leaves.

* * *

Jeremy walks across the field, staring at the soil beneath him. He had left the others awhile ago to find any animals they could eat that weren't contaminated. So far, the land is completely barren. 

He's lost in thought, trying to focus his mind, but his brain was jumping around quicker than he could process. He was thinking about his friends, the world's status, and about the monsters that lurked in the dark. He worries about the others. He had already watched one of his best friends Matt die in front of him when the explosion had first occurred when all this happened. He should still be here. There should still be ten of them.

Jeremy hears a distant scream, snatching his attention. He pulls out a sword, and rushes to where he heard it. He spots a large hole in front of him. 

"Hello?!" He looks into the darkness within the Earth.

"Jeremy?! Is that you?!" A quiet voice within the hole calls.

"Alfredo?" Jeremy looks into the pit, and sure enough, his friend, Alfredo, is looking back up at him with wide eyes. "What happened?!"

"I thought I saw a zombie...or something...so I hid in here. Now I can't get out..." Alfredo looks back down, sheepishly.

"Come on, let's get you out of there, bud." Jeremy offers a hand to Alfredo. He takes it, and Jeremy hoists him back to the surface.

"Thanks, J." Alfredo sighs.

"No problem. Just be careful." Jeremy begins walking back to Geoff and the others.

"M' sorry. I'm just...jumpy, I guess." Alfredo follows close behind Jeremy.

"Aren't we all..."

Jeremy tries to keep Alfredo close, watching their surroundings cautiously. He's ready to protect his friend at all costs.

A loud explosion sounds off, causing Jeremy nearly jumps out of his skin.

"Oh shit!" A voice calls.

Alfredo's head pops up. "Was that Michael?!" He yelps.

"That was Michael!" Jeremy readies his sword once again, and the two take off towards where the scream came from.

"Damn monsters...damn everything!" They round the corner and see Michael, sitting on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Are you okay?!" Alfredo rushes at Michael.

"Careful, 'fredo." Jeremy kneels down beside Michael, putting out a hand to stop Alfredo.

"I'm fine...just a splitting headache." Michael rubs his temples. "One of those...creep pig things...exploded right next to me."

There had been all kinds of radiated monsters lurking out there, one that worried everyone the most was the zombie pigs with long, spider-like legs, with supersonic screams that functioned like explosions. It was almost as though they were landmines.

"Come on, Jack can help fix you up." Jeremy helps Michael to his feet.

"It's just a couple of bruises, J. I'm fine." Michael rolls his eyes. 

"At least let Jack bandage up the scratches." 

"Jeremy, seriously. I'm—"

"Michael?! What happened?!"

Steffie, one of their other friends, rushes over to the group.

"A monster, what the hell do you think happened?" Michael spits.

"But...I thought monsters didn't come out during the day..." Steffie looks around.

"Then do _you_ have an idea of what happened? Go on, tell me." Michael glares at Steffie.

"Alright, alright." Steffie looks at Jeremy. "We need to get him back to the house." Then he begins leading a reluctant Michael away.

"I don't need help!" Michael begins yelling a bunch of protests, all the while still following Steffie. Jeremy frowns.

"Hey y'all." A loud voice behind them makes Alfredo yelp, nearly falling to the ground.

"Hey, Lindsay." Jeremy smiles.

"Is Michael okay?" Lindsay tilts their head to the side.

"Just a few scratches, he doesn't wanna get bandages though." Alfredo shakes his head.

"Sounds like Michael." Lindsay shrugs.

"Yeah, he'll be fine. Steffie’s practically dragging him to Jack." Jeremy begins walking after them, Alfredo and Lindsay not too far behind.

"He'll be okay, right?" Alfredo asks.

"Yeah, as long as he gets bandages." Lindsay smiles. "Don't worry, I'll be sure he gets all fixed up." Lindsay stands tall, putting a fist over their heart. "Leave it to Lindsay!"

Alfredo chuckles. Jeremy turns back to them. "Yeah, don't worry. We'll be sure Michael's arrogance doesn't get himself killed." 

Alfredo hesitantly nods. "Alright."

Michael and Steffie eventually fall back to the others. 

"I don't think we should go out alone anymore since the monsters are starting to come out during the day..." Michael says.

"Agreed." Alfredo nods in agreement.

"Thank God." Jeremy mumbles.

It was _way_ too dangerous to let people go out on their own now. It was fine at first, but the world is becoming more corrupt, a shell of its former self.

"Well, certain people definitely shouldn't, but I think some of us can handle ourselves." Steffie says. 

Steffie not agreeing doesn't sit well with Jeremy. "We should all have someone to watch our backs, Steffie."

"I know, but some of us would be okay." Steffie defends. "Take you and Michael. You're both strong fighters. I'm super cautious and aware of my surroundings. It makes sense to not let Lindsay or Alfredo go out—"

"Hey!" Lindsay and Alfredo gasp in unison.

"—but me and you would be alright. We could gather more materials that way." Steffie finishes.

Jeremy doesn't agree with Steffie’s statement at all, but chooses to ignore his concerns for now. They'll deal with this later, they need to focus on Michael right now.

The group eventually makes it back in one piece, spotting Trevor and Jack near Geoff.

"Good, you guys are back." Geoff sighs. 

"Geoff, No one else is going out. These monsters are starting to come out during the day, we need to stay together." Jeremy says.

"The monsters are...did you get attacked?!" Geoff's gaze rushes over to Michael.

"Yeah..." Michael rolls his eyes. "But I'm fine."

"Okay, go see Jack so he can patch you up." Geoff orders.

"Guys—" Alfredo looks around.

"And when we do go out, we're all going in teams. No one is going alone." Geoff continues.

"Hey, guys—"

"And Steffie’s almost done fixing up the radios, so each team will take one—"

"Guys!" Alfredo shouts.

"What, Alfredo?!" Geoff turns his head, visibly annoyed.

"Where's Gavin?" 

A loud shriek makes everyone jump. They all spin around just in time to see Gavin running from a giant mutant spider chasing after him. "Help me!"

"I'll help you, Gavin!" Lindsay shouts, however begins running in the opposite direction.

"Oh God..." Michael rolls his eyes, and jogs over to the cat-sized spider, beheading it with a single swipe of his sword. "You're good, Gav."

Gavin falls flat on his face. "Thanks, Micoo!"

"You okay?" Michael puts the sword back in his holster. He turns back to Gavin, offering a hand to his friend.

"Yeah. That thing came out of nowhere." Gavin takes Michael's hand and is lifted to his feet.

"Don't worry, Gavin, I got this!" Lindsay runs over, wielding a stick like an axe, and hits the spider. "Hoo-yah!" They stop, realizing it's already dead. "Oh..." 

Gavin and Michael begin snickering, causing Lindsay to look over at them, slightly embarrassed. 

"No, no!" Michael calls. "I think you almost got it." 

"Shut up!" Lindsay glares, but there's a hint of laughter behind their tone.

"And I rest my case." Steffie smirks. Jeremy glares at Steffie, who shrugs in response.

"Alright, we're almost done building the shelter, so we're going to be okay tonight. No one has to keep watch!" Jack beams. 

"If you guys decide to help us, maybe the house could be finished before sundown." Geoff turns and walks back to the house.

"Oh! Except for Michael, I'll help you with your scratches, come on." Jack waves Michael over.

"I don't need help! It's just some scrapes! I've been hurt worse!" Michael protests. 

Geoff turns back. "Michael. This isn't like before. If those get infected, we can't just go to a nearby hospital and fix it! Get bandaged, **now**. End of discussion." 

Michael looks at Geoff for a moment, then sighs, reluctantly following Jack. 

Steffie takes a step forward. "I can go out and get you guys more wood for the house if you need—"

"No. We're not splitting up, Steffie." Geoff rubs his temples.

"But we need material—"

"Steffie." Jeremy steps forward. "Stop. You know why we need to be safe..." He can't lose another one of his friends. It's only been three months since Matt, so Jeremy wasn't letting his guard down.

"I—" Steffie stops for a moment, looking back and forth between Geoff and Jeremy. "Fine," she sighs.

"Come on guys, we need to get the house built before it's too dark." Geoff's tone softens, as he leads everyone to the beginnings of the house.

Slowly, they follow one by one, Jeremy watching them go. Once everyone's gone, he allows himself to trail behind but both Lindsay and Alfredo fall back to walk next to him.


	2. Tensions Rise

The group had managed to finish constructing the house, aside from some minor gaps in the walls, and no flooring, but it's enough for them to survive.

* * *

"You're being such a stubborn idiot!" Geoff is pacing around the room, gesturing wildly with his hands. "You could get yourself hurt! Or worse! Then what?!"

While Geoff and Steffie are arguing, Alfredo could do nothing but watch.

"We can't hide ourselves in a cave for the rest of our lives, Geoff! We need to get stuff to not just survive!" Steffie retorts. "We need stuff to live!"

Geoff pauses for a moment and scoffs, looking at Steffie in what Alfredo can only pinpoint as disbelief. 

"You don't care, do you?" Geoff shakes his head.

"It's not that I don't—"

"You could die! We need you! We need to all stay alive. I'm not letting any of you idiots kill yourselves because you want to be a goddamn 'hero', and think you know what the hell you're doing!" Geoff clenches his fists. "News flash, Steffie. You have no clue what is going on, so stop pretending like you do."

"I'm not dead! I was outside today! We all were! Oh what?! Michael gets a few scratches, and suddenly everyone's so paranoid?!" Steffie growls.

"You know _exactly_ why we can't risk it, Steffie!" Jeremy shouts.

"It wasn't the monsters that killed him and you know it." Steffie rolls her eyes. "That was us being ill prepared!" 

"How could we have prepared for that? Are you really going to blame us for Matt?!" Jeremy stands shakily. Steffie doesn't reply.

Alfredo looks over at Trevor, who is pretending to be asleep. He knows he's pretending. No one else was sleeping. How could they? Everyone's so _loud_.

"We can't live like this." Steffie sits down.

"Steffie, you're a dumbass," Michael stands. "We're not staying inside forever, we just need to be more careful."

Steffie is standing once more and glaring at Michael. "We have to get stuff we need! Food, water, materials! Weapons!" 

Michael looks like he's about to say something, but instead sits back down.

Lindsay was digging through the chests in the back, trying to distract themself. Alfredo knew they were. He'd do the same thing, however he's scared to draw attention to himself by moving.

"What if you don't come back?!" Gavin pipes up. "What are we going to do then, Steffie?!"

"I _will_ come back! You guys know me! I can—"

"Things are different now, Steffie! We need to be cautious!" Gavin stands up and walks over to her. "We can't risk going out on our own right now, but we are going to figure this out." 

Alfredo's heart stops for a brief moment. The tension in the room was thick. 

Steffie eventually nods, sinking back down, as Alfredo lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

Everyone goes silent, probably afraid to make a sound, much like Alfredo. No one dared break the deafening silence filling the room. Alfredo looks at everyone, they all look tired. Everyone has bags under their eyes, everyone has a slouched posture. He wishes he could do something.

One by one, they all slowly fall asleep, or at least pretend to. But Alfredo can't sleep, he keeps hearing the groans and hissing of monsters outside, and the occasional scratch at the door. His heart races each time he spots a monster through the cracks in the makeshift walls, or the sound of them stalking nearby.

He tries to stay quiet, focusing on where his friends are, making sure they're all okay.

He hears their breathing and sees the gentle rise and fall of everyone's chest. It's comforting to him. Focusing on his friends is eventually enough to lull him to a restless sleep.

* * *

Once the sun comes up, and most monsters go into hiding, or at least they _usually_ do. 

Jack gathers everyone outside to assign their groups and roles.

"Alright. Lads and Lindsay, you four are together." Jack gestures to Lindsay, Jeremy, Gavin, and Michael, who all nod and grin back at Jack. "You four gather meat. Jeremy, Gav, focus on land animals, and Michael and Lindsay," Jack leans over, picking up two fishing poles. "You two are going fishing!

"Geoff, Trev, and I will work on gathering food for the farm." Jack puts an arm around Geoff. 

"Got it!" Trevor stands tall, saluting.

"Steffie, you take Alfredo and gather some building materials okay?" 

"What?!" Steffie shouts. “Hang on a sec—"

"You got it, Jack!" Alfredo jumps.

Steffie sighs in annoyance, and begins trudging off, not needing to hear the rest of the lecture.

“Stef? Hey, Steffie?!" Alfredo was following her.

Great. She needs to find materials, but that's going to be impossible with Alfredo slowing her down.

"What, Alfredo?!" Steffie turns around. Even though he wasn't a kid, boy did Alfredo act like one. 

"So where we heading?"

Steffie rolls her eyes, and continues walking. 

"C'mon, Steffie! I can help, let me at least _try_." Alfredo runs to Steffie’s side.

"Alfredo, listen. I appreciate you wanting to help, but I can do this on my own." Steffie softly explains, hoping to convince Alfredo to leave him alone.

Alfredo steps back for a second, looking hurt. Steffie almost feels sorry, but only for a moment. Then Alfredo's cheerful smile is quick to return.

"Wouldn't two pairs of hands be better for gathering stuff though?" Alfredo raises an eyebrow.

Steffie sighs, and continues walking, trying to ignore Alfredo. 

"Besides! Jack said we need to stick together. I think it's a smart plan honestly. Besides, now you have an extra pair of eyes to watch out for monsters!" He moves his hands to mimic monster claws.

Steffie glares at him, causing Alfredo to stop, immediately lowering his arms to his side. 

He clears his throat. "You won't even know I'm here! I swear!"

"I know you're here, Alfredo." Steffie deadpans.

"Sorry...uh...starting now." 

Steffie ignores Alfredo for most of the way, eventually making it to a dark cave. 

"Uh...Steffie..." Alfredo mumbles. 

"What, now?!" Steffie sighs.

"I just...do we have any lights?" 

"Don't tell me you're scared of the dark, Alfredo." Steffie glances over.

"No!" Alfredo snaps. "I'm just...what if there's monsters in there?"

"Then we kill them. We have weapons." Steffie gestures to a pickaxe in a holster around her waist.

"But—"

"Alfredo, if you're so worried, just stay out here." Without waiting for an answer, Steffie runs into the cave, the pickaxe out as a weapon.

"Steffie! Wait—" Alfredo stops dead in his tracks before he reaches the cave's edge, just outside of the darkness. "...come back..."

* * *

"Gavin! Be careful!" Michael shouts while Gavin is swimming across a stilled river. The sun was nearly gone by now.

"I'll be fine, Michael." Gavin laughs, getting out of the water. "I found some apples over there. Want one?" 

Gavin tosses an apple to Michael. "Thanks, Gav." Michael smirks, taking a bite of the shining red fruit.

"Is Lindsay still fishing?" Gavin asks.

"Yeah, they're a little ways up the river. Jeremy's up there too." Michael nods.

"Alright, I found a rabbit...but I couldn't bring myself to kill it..." Gavin laughs sheepishly. "I think Jeremy shot a bird, though...did you guys get any fish?"

"Living fish? We caught a couple. Most of the river was dead though." Michael sighs. "It was gross..."

"...maybe I should've killed that rabbit then..." Gavin smirks.

Michael laughs. "Yeah, probably. But it's okay...Jack's working on the garden so we should still have plenty to eat."

"Yeah, eventually." Gavin scoffs.

Michael was about to make a remark, but Geoff rushes over.

"Guys?! Have you seen Steffie?!" Geoff asks, frantically.

"No? Why?" Gavin tilts his head.

"She’s missing...Alfredo just got back. He said she went into a cave, Steffie’s not there now..." Geoff explains between exhausted breaths.

"Did you go look for her?" Michael asks.

"What happened?!" Jeremy walks up to the group, Lindsay not far behind.

"Steffie’s gone...Alfredo just got back and told me. I went to where he last saw him. He's not there..." Geoff sighs. "Let's just head back, m'kay? Maybe she’s on her way there now..."

"I—" Jeremy stops himself. "...alright..."

After a bit of silent walking, Lindsay speaks up. "Me and Michael caught some fish! They look good..." 

"That's good..." Geoff mumbles.

"I also found a small sapling by the river bank...I named it Sap of Life!" They bounce as they walk, gesturing wildly with their hands. Michael smiles at them.

But the others are not as amused, they all look reasonably worried. 

Michael sighs in a tired response. "Maybe we could eat the bark off of the sapling if all else fails," he smirks.

"Don't you dare threaten my child!" Lindsay points a finger at Michael, but there's a light smile in their voice.

By time they get back to the house, it is about an hour into the night. Trevor and Alfredo are both sleeping, but Jack is not. He's sitting up, wide-awake.

"Where have you been?! What happened?!" He snaps in a hushed whisper.

"I went to look for Steffie, but found these idiots instead." Geoff gestures to the lads.

"Are you kidding me?! You should've told me, I would've—" 

"I know...I know, I just wanted to find Steffie...I'm sorry." Geoff pulls Jack into a hug.

Jack sighs. "Where's Steffie?"

"She’s not back yet?!" Jeremy yells, waking the others up in the process. 

"Wait...what happened?" Alfredo rubs his eyes, slowly sitting up.

"Should we all head out to look for her?!" Geoff asks. 

"Steffie’s still gone?!" Trevor asks, frantically.

"Wow." Gavin mumbles, shaking his head in disbelief. "She really doesn't care..."

"Of course she cares!" Trevor jolts up. "She’s just...stubborn..."

"Oh she's fine. She can handle herself, she knows what she's doing, remember?!" Gavin throws his hands up, mimicking Steffie.

"Guys, please—" Alfredo's voice is barely audible over the others.

"Stay out of this!" Gavin snaps, but quickly stops himself. He looks back at Trevor.

"Gav, listen...I know you're freaked out, but—" 

"I'm not freaked out, _Trevor_!" Gavin snaps. "Steffie is being an ass towards all of us, and you know it! She’s abandoned Alfredo, she's not listening to us, what are we supposed to do—"

"Gavin! Stop." Michael steps in front of Gavin, blocking his view of Trevor. "You're not helping. We still need to find Steffie."

"Why?! If she's going to try to run from all of us, why not just let her go?!" Gavin turns to Michael.

Michael doesn't reply to Gavin. Instead, he shoves past him, turning to everyone else. "Geoff, you checked that cave right?" He asks.

"Yeah...she wasn't there." Geoff confirms.

"Okay, she wouldn't have gone far." Michael looks across the room, studying everyone's expressions. "If we all stick together, and keep our heads, we should be able to do a safe night patrol. But we'll all need to keep a sharp eye. Alright?"

But before Michael finishes his sentence, there is a frantic knock at the door.


	3. Search and Rescue

They're arguing again. Alfredo nervously glances at Trevor, who is shouting back at Gavin. Lindsay is watching with wide, sad eyes while Jack looks nervous from person to person and Geoff clenches and unclenches his fists.

Alfredo closes his eyes, burying his head behind his knees, hugging his legs close to his chest. If only Steffie was here, maybe the arguing would stop. They'd see she's okay. 

Alfredo looks up at everyone once again. The arguing isn't helping anyone! While they're yelling, Steffie could be out there getting hurt, or worse! Why couldn't Alfredo just follow her into the cave. He promised Jack they'd stick together. This was his fault. If _they_ won't find Steffie, Alfredo _would_.

He tiptoes past everyone, opening the door, and silently closing it behind him. No one notices.

While walking in the dark field, he comes across the stick Lindsay had used next to a beheaded spider. It smelled rancid, but Alfredo needed a weapon. 

"It's okay, Alfredo...you got this...you're just alone in darkness...with a stinky stick..." He mumbles, trying to convince himself.

The night air was cold, he jumped at every slight noise.

"Steffie..." Alfredo calls out softly. 

A low groan sounds off nearby. Alfredo freezes. 

"Steffie? Is that you?!" He calls, jogging over to the noise. 

As he rounds a tree, he smells rot, and the heavy scent of blood. Alfredo nearly gags, until the source of the smell emerges from the darkness. A zombie glares hungrily at Alfredo with it's glassy, yellowed eyes. 

Alfredo can't move. The zombie is staring him down, making his heart pound. His legs felt like stone, immobilizing him.

He wasn't able to move until the zombie lunged itself at Alfredo. The zombie swipes at his arm, as he stumbles to the side in a mix of shock and fear. 

He quickly steadies himself, running as fast as he can. He's not sure when he dropped the stick, but at this point all he cares about is getting away from this zombie.

That is, until he hears the rattling sound of bone against bone in the direction he is heading.

* * *

The frantic knock on the door startled everyone, forgetting Michael's speech almost instantly.

Lindsay turns to it, rushing over all in a single motion.

"Lindsay—" Michael calls, but before he can say any more, Lindsay yanks the door open. 

"Guys!" Steffie collapses into the room, trying to catch her breath.

"What the hell?! Where have you been, you moron!" Geoff screams, running over to Steffie.

"I lost track of time, there was a spider in that cave so I left—" 

"You left Alfredo!" Jack snaps. "All I ask is you take him with you! Is that honestly so much to handle—"

Steffie looks up. "I—"

"Guys!" Trevor screams, immediately getting everyone's attention. "Where...where's Alfredo?!" 

Everyone begins to look around, eventually growing more and more frantic. There's no sign of him. 

"He...he was just here..." Michael's eyes go wide. 

"Oh God...oh God!" Trevor freaked out, his breath quickens and he begins checking places he already checked.

"Trev...it's okay." Lindsay rushes over to him. "We'll find him, I promise." 

" _I'll_ find him." Steffie nods. "This is my fault, let me go get him..."

Jack pauses for a moment, seeming to consider Steffie’s offer. "Take Michael and Jeremy."

Steffie looks up at Jack. She nods. "Okay."

"Hey, he's gonna be okay." Jack puts a hand on Trevor's back, attempting to calm his friend.

Steffie and the two lads head out of the house, bringing their swords as a means of defense, and Steffie quickly snatches a flashlight from one of the chests.

* * *

"Alfredo?" Jeremy hisses.

Jeremy, Michael and Steffie were scanning their surroundings, searching for any sign of their friend. It was pitch black out. 

"Hey, genius. You gonna use your flashlight?" Michael asks.

"I can't waste the battery, this is all we got. Besides, I don't want to let any monsters know where we are." Steffie explains.

"Which cave did you last see him at?" Jeremy questions. 

"I think...this one..." Steffie points to a nearby cave.

"You think?!" Jeremy snaps. 

"Look! It was light out when I was last here...I can barely see." Steffie retorts.

"Then use the flashlight." Jeremy clenches his fists.

"We have one flashlight! I'm only using it if Alfredo is close. We can't waste it." Steffie shouts.

"It's okay, Steff...we'll find him. We're not getting Alfredo back by arguing with each other." Michael speaks softly. 

Jeremy sighs in response. "You're right..." He nods.

A moment goes by. There's a gust of wind that makes their blood go cold. Steffie sighs, "Guys...I—"

"Help!" A voice calls from within the trees.

"Alfredo!" Jeremy screams. The three rush to the trees, but stop, realizing how dark it is within the canopy. 

"I can't see..." Jeremy mumbles, squinting his eyes. 

Steffie rushes in front of the two, her flashlight now on. "Follow me." 

The three dash within the forest, now illuminated by the light. 

As they run, an arrow barely misses Jeremy's head, causing the lad to yelp. Michael draws his sword, aiming it further into the trees, beyond their field of vision as a figure slowly emerges from the darkness. Michael readies an attack, his sword lifted above his head. However, he quickly stops himself.

"Alfredo!" Steffie gasps.

Alfredo stumbles out of the darkness frantically, wide-eyed. He was holding his left arm, and his knee was bloodied. Jeremy puts a shaky hand over his mouth in shock.

"Fredo, what happened?!" Michael lowers his sword, rushing to Alfredo's side.

"Z-zombies...in the..." Alfredo's voice quivered as he spoke, he was trying to steady his breathing.

Michael looks past Alfredo, holding his sword up once more.

Jeremy shakes his head. "Come on, we gotta get him out of—"

"Oh my God!" Steffie goes pale.

"What happened?!" Michael whirls around.

"Alfredo, did...did you get—" Alfredo collapses to his knees before Steffie can finish her question.

Jeremy finally notices what made Steffie go so pale. 

Alfredo had an arrow embedded deep in the middle of his back. Everyone froze, staring fearfully at Alfredo.

"We need to get back...now." Steffie orders as Michael picks up Alfredo in his arms. "Come on..."

Jeremy is frozen in fear. He can hear spiders hissing, and zombies groaning behind him. He turns and sees the darkness behind him, silence filled by the sounds of monsters within. It seems like the darkness is closing in, getting closer with each breath. 

"...gotta go! Come on!" Steffie’s voice pulls Jeremy from his panicked thoughts. 

Jeremy looks over at Alfredo, who barely seems conscious. He nods, and the three run from the forest. 

Michael looks around them the whole way, and Jeremy swears a skeleton was stalking them. However, his mind is too clouded by fear and his adrenaline is too high to care about anything other than getting Alfredo to safety as quickly as possible. 

* * *

Gavin felt a pang of guilt in his chest. Trevor had been staring at a wall for the past ten minutes, not moving. Everyone else was occupying themselves with distractions to keep them from thinking the worst, but not Trevor.

Gavin could see him slightly trembling. He wanted to help, but was unsure of what to say. Maybe this was all his fault. He shouldn't have yelled at Trevor. They're a team. They stick together. 

The arguing must've caused Alfredo to run, Gavin realizes, what else could it have been? He lowers his head in shame.

"You okay, Gav?" Gavin looks up and notices Trevor had turned from the wall, and was looking at him, his face unreadable.

"Y-yeah...I'm fine...I..." Gavin pauses then shakes his head. "Are you okay?"

Trevor nods, but Gavin can tell he's not, so he gets up and sits next to his friend. 

"I'm sorry..." Gavin says, carefully.

Trevor laughs a little. Gavin's not sure why until he glances over at him. 

When Gavin sees the tears streaming down Trevor's face, he realizes that he's not laughing.

"Trev...I promise you, Alfredo will be okay." Gavin put an arm around Trevor. "Everything's gonna be okay." 

They sat like that in silence for a while. Jack had stopped what he was doing after a bit to come over and sit on the other side of Trevor. They all sat in the comfort of the others for a bit. 

Lindsay eventually looks up at all of them. "When Alfredo gets back, we should all have the fish that me and Michael caught for dinner. It looks good!" They grin.

Trevor nods. "When."

Gavin can't help but smile back, despite everything. Lindsay had a way of always calming them down, no matter what. Maybe it was their optimism, maybe it was their naivety. Gavin's not entirely sure.

They continued sitting in silence, until the quiet was interrupted as the door slams open. Jeremy rushes into the room, hardly waiting for the door to be open enough.

"Jeremy! Did you find Alfredo?!" Trevor jumps up.

Everyone freezes in place as they see Michael carrying a bloodied Alfredo into the house.

"He got shot...he's still breathing." Steffie rushes in after, her words are frantic, she steadies himself as he looks to Jack. "He needs help."

Jack nods and takes Alfredo from Michael, and quickly sets him on a bed. Trevor follows close by and sits on the floor next to Alfredo.

"Oh my God..." Trevor covers his mouth with a hand. "Is...he's gonna be okay, right?!"

"Yeah...it looks like the arrow barely missed his spine...I just need to wrap up the wounds." Jack says, reaching into one of the chests, frantically going through it. "Geoff! Where's the bandages?!"

"They should be in there." Geoff walks over to Jack.

"Well, they're not!" Jack panics.

"I think I saw them in here!" Lindsay opens one of the chests on the opposite side of the room. Sure enough, they find them at the top of all the clutter. They toss them to Jack, who angrily sighs yet turns to Alfredo without a word.

Trevor doesn't take his concerned gaze off of Alfredo the entire time Jack is helping him and the pang of guilt swiftly returns to Gavin's chest. 

* * *

After Alfredo was bandaged up, Trevor had fallen asleep, his head on Alfredo's bed. All the others had managed to fall asleep as well except for Jack and Gavin. 

"Is he gonna be okay?" Gavin asks while Jack was putting away the medicine.

"Yeah...he just may be out for a couple of days..." Jack doesn't look up. "He's lucky. If that had hit his spine, it could've paralyzed him..."

Gavin nods. He looks over to Trevor, sitting on the floor.

"Help me move him to one of the other beds, yeah?" Gavin asks Jack.

Jack looks over at him, then at Trevor. "Okay," and the two carefully moved Trevor to the bed next over from Alfredo. 

Jack turns around to put away the rest of the medical supplies when Gavin starts pushing Trevor's bed closer to Alfredo.

"What are you doing, Gav?" Jack tilts his head.

Gavin looks up at Jack. "He was worried about Alfredo. I...think he'd want to be by him..." 

Jack slowly smiles. "Alright." He helps Gavin push the two beds together.

After the medical supplies are put away, he falls asleep on one of the cots, along with everyone else. 

Gavin moves to Trevor and Alfredo, and sits on the edge of the two cots. He watches over Alfredo all night, making sure he's still breathing. Being near the two comforts Gavin in a way. He's able to see the gentle rise and fall of Alfredo's chest. 

He knows he's still alive.


	4. Blind Sided

Alfredo couldn't see, everything around him was dark. Maybe the zombie got to him, maybe he was dead. 

No, he remembers Steffie coming to help him. Steffie wouldn't let him die. There's no way Steffie would let him die. Then why can't he see?

The dull ringing in his ears was getting louder and began to give him a headache. He tried moving his hands to cover his ears, but it felt like weights were pushing down on his muscles. He couldn't move.

The ringing grew louder, and louder, until it began fading into voices. Two voices. Trevor and Gavin. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but he recognized their voices. They were there. Alfredo wasn't dead.

His head was pounding, but their voices grew clearer.

"I'm really sorry about everything, Trev..." He heard Gavin say.

"It's not your fault...we're all stressed." Trevor replies.

"I shouldn't have yelled though...you were right, she cares she's just..."

"Stubborn?" Alfredo can hear a smile in Trevor's voice. Gavin laughs. 

The two stop talking after this, which worries Alfredo. He doesn't know if they're still there, he doesn't want to be alone.

Alfredo eventually found himself able to open his eyes. He looks to his right, and sees the two leaning against his bed, still quietly talking.

  
  


"...guys?" Alfredo squints, as the light was beginning to hurt his eyes.

The two pause, and turn around. 

"Alfredo!" They both exclaim in unison. But Alfredo winces at the loud noise, his head still hurting.

"Are you okay?!" Gavin asks.

"How are you feeling?" Trevor leans on the bed.

"Is your arm sore? Jack said it may be numb for a bit..." 

"Is the light too bright, I can close the windows?"

"Guys!" Alfredo chuckles. "I just woke up, please."

Gavin and Trevor stop for a moment, then begin laughing along.

"Sorry, Fredo..." Gavin lowers his voice, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

  
  


The door swings open, and in comes Jack carrying some logs. "Oh, Alfredo! How are you?" He asks.

Alfredo smiles. "I'm doing great. A little tired..."

"Really? How are you tired? You were out for a week." Gavin tilts his head. "Or...I think it was a week..."

"Gavin!" Trevor gasps.

A week...

"A _what_?!"

* * *

Steffie picked up the radio from the desk. "It's not far, Geoff. Come on. You and Jack have been doing plenty of patrols."

"This is different, Steffie." Geoff sighs. "We don't have a quick way of getting to you. What if you get lost?!"

"I won't. I'm not gonna go far in the cave. I'll be back by sundown." Steffie pleads.

Jack speaks up, "I mean...the radios are fixed now, Geoff...it would technically be safer..."

"No! Absolutely not!" Jeremy stands. 

_There's no way they were actually considering this,_ Jeremy thinks. _Steffie_ can't _go._

"I mean..." Geoff shrugs, looking at Steffie. "If, _and **only** if_, you promise me. You'll be back by sundown this time. And you'll be careful."

Steffie smiles. "Yes! I promise."

"Let me go too!" Jeremy shouts. "It's not safe."

"J, it'll be okay." Jack walks over to him. "We have the radios. Steffie knows what she's doing."

"I'll call back to check in as soon as I get there, and as soon as I head back, okay?" Steffie suggests.

"I just...Geoff come on!" Jeremy looks to Geoff to help him.

"We have stuff for everyone to be doing, Jeremy...we need you here. I’m sure Steffie will be fine on her own." Geoff reassures.

"I fixed the radio, and it's not far. I swear I will be right back, and I'll radio if anything happens. I promise." Steffie says.

Jeremy looks at Steffie for a moment. He sighs, putting all his trust in Steffie. "Alright...please be careful..."

"I will." Steffie smiles, then walks off.

  
  


Jeremy heads outside, away from the others as Steffie packs supplies.

"She’ll be okay, y'know." Lindsay's voice makes Jeremy jump.

"I know. I'm just worried." Jeremy crosses his arms, bringing his gaze to the brown grass beneath him.

"I know...but the radios are going to make this a lot safer." Lindsay shrugs. "Jack's right. It's time we start letting people out on their own again."

"It's just..." Jeremy sighs. "You're right..."

  
Their positivity is oddly comforting to Jeremy. 

"You wanna see the Sap of Life tree? I think it's growing!" Lindsay beams.

Jeremy laughs. "Yeah, sure." 

"Lindsay! There you are!" Michael runs over to the two.

"I told you I was taking a walk." Lindsay says innocently.

"I know, but that was a while ago." Michael looks around. "There's a lot of monsters out."

"I can handle myself, Michael. Really." Lindsay smiles at Michael.

"You shouldn't be out too long alone though—"

"I'm not even that far from the house. I just wanted to take a walk. Besides, Jeremy's right here. I'm fine." Lindsay gestures to Jeremy.

Jeremy doesn't want to be dragged into this, so he stays quiet.

Michael sighs, "Alright...I'm sorry..." 

Lindsay gives Michael an annoyed look, so Jeremy decides to finally interject. "Soooo.... we going to see the sap of whatever?"

"Sap of Life." Lindsay corrects.

"Is that what you called your twig?" Michael stuffs his hands into his pockets. 

  
  


Michael is a complex person. Jeremy never has any clue if he's joking or being serious. Lindsay, however, could read Michael like a book. They laugh at what was apparently a joke, as Michael grins along with them. Jeremy shrugs it off and continues walking.

The river wasn't terribly far from where they were, and once they got there, Lindsay jumped excitedly towards the small bush-sized sapling.

"Look! It is getting bigger!" They smile.

Michael smiles back at them and the two share a glance before remembering Jeremy was still there.

" _Aaa_ nyways..." Jeremy rubs a hand on the back of his neck. "Should we replant it by the house, you know, so no monsters get to it?" He suggests.

"Nah, it needs water. I think it'd be happy here!" Lindsay nods. 

"Alright...it's kinda a walk to get to it though." Jeremy looks back to the house off in the distance.

"It's fine. We don't need to see it everyday." Lindsay kneels down besides the sap. "I'll be out here to check on it every now and then."

"We should head back before it gets too dark." Michael looks up.

Jeremy finally notices the sun beginning it's journey towards the horizon. "...what if we all started staying out at night?"

"Are you insane?!" Michael snaps. "Didn't you see what happened to Alfredo?!"

"Yeah, a week ago... we learned from that! Steffie’s going out on her own! Geoff and Jack have gone out on their own! Steffie went out on patrols on her own. And if the monsters are out during the day anyways—"

"We can't—" Michael begins screaming, until Lindsay steps slightly in between the two. His voice quickly softens and he sighs. "We can't see the monsters at night, Jeremy."

"If we're in groups...we could keep watch." Lindsay explains.

Michael pauses for a moment, then slowly shakes his head. "Jack and Geoff would never let this happen. It's too dangerous..."

* * *

"It's perfect!" Jack announces.

"What?!" Michael shouts.

"Alright, but you guys are staying in your assigned groups this time. Alfredo, you're staying inside. Trevor can keep watch over you if you need anything." Geoff gestures in Alfredo's direction and Alfredo nods.

"Geoff, wait! This is suicide!" Michael protests.

"Michael, Jeremy’s right. The monsters are showing up more and more. If we hide every single time it gets dark, or we see a monster, we're not going to get any supplies. We're not going to survive..." Jack walks over to Michael.

"I..." Michael looks over at Lindsay. "I don't know if...some of us...can't defend ourselves..."

Lindsay looks over at Michael. They're hurt by his comment. They may not be the strongest of the group, but surely they can handle themself. They're tough.

"Michael, we are all more than capable of fighting. We're in this together." Lindsay is gentle with how they phrase their words. "Plus, we're going in groups."

  
  


Michael isn't the most stable person to begin with. It's almost impossible to tell what he's thinking, but Lindsay's learned how to phrase things to talk to him. They knows he's a good person, he just has a temper. They can get through to him.

"Lindsay..." Michael looks like he's contemplating his words as well. 

"We're staying in groups to get more done." Geoff walks up to Michael. "We'll die without survival materials, Michael, and you know it."

Michael opens his mouth to argue, but can't find the words. He simply lowers his head, and falls silent.

  
  


"...perfect. We all agree?" A nervous smile forces itself across Jack's face.

Michael growls, storming off in a random direction.

"Michael, wait—" Lindsay goes to follow him.

"Leave me alone, Lindsay." Michael snaps. Lindsay stands in shock for a moment, but slowly backs up, lowering her head in defeat as Michael continues his walk.

"You okay, Linds?" Gavin walks over to Lindsay's side.

"Yeah...I just feel like I'm going against Michael. I don't want to, but this is a good idea. I know it." Lindsay looks up.

"He'll come around. Don't worry." Gavin smiles.

Lindsay smiles back. They notices some of the leftover wood outside of the house. They come up with an idea to make things safer for them all.

* * *

The sun has set over the horizon, yet Lindsay is still working on building with the wood. They begin putting planks up as a barrier around the house. A small makeshift fence. Maybe if Michael sees the fence, he'll be more comforted with a barrier to protect them. They understand he's looking out for them, but they also want him to believe they can do things on their own.

Steffie still isn't back, but Geoff says she radioed him, and that she's on her way. This helps to comfort Lindsay. When Steffie’s back, they can all work together and fix up the house. 

They hum a song while they work, not caring in the slightest about the splinters they are getting. If this means they are protecting their friends, then so be it. The others are out getting stuff, so they're on their own. The work is tough, but they don't mind so long as they're doing it for the others.

A snarl behind them pulls them from their thoughts, making their heart stop.

* * *

Trevor had been watching Lindsay from inside the house, to make sure they were okay until a groan from behind him drew his attention. He looks over to see Alfredo rubbing his head and wincing.

"Hey, are you okay?" Trevor rushes to Alfredo.

"Yeah...my head just hurts like hell..." 

"Do you need ice? I think Jack has some somewhere..." Trevor begins scrambling around, trying to find the first aid kit Jack managed to save. "No, no...I'm fine...I just need to rest..." Alfredo lays his head back down and Trevor nods lightly, "I'm really sorry..."

"About?"

"...I didn't notice you left until it was too late..." 

"Don't worry about me, Trev...it wasn't your fault...you guys were busy, it's my fault for leaving." 

"It is my fault. I...I shouldn't have..."

"I left. I decided to leave on my own." 

"But..." Trevor isn't sure what to say. He feels awful, but Alfredo's right. He shouldn't dwell on what happened. But Trevor eventually asks, "Do you need anything?"

"Actually, do we have any water?" Alfredo laughs.

Trevor smiles and nods. "Yeah. Let me—"

Before he can get any more words out, he hears a blood curdling scream from outside.

Alfredo instantly bolts up.

"Lindsay!" The two scream in unison.

* * *

Michael is grumbling, walking back to the house. He had done a patrol of the field, watching for radiated monsters. Nothing. It was dark out, so dark Michael had to squint his eyes to see in front of him. He regrets storming off, however his mindset hadn't changed. They shouldn't be out at night. Monsters show up in herds at night, it's too dangerous. He doesn't doubt Lindsay's fighting capability, he's just worried they'll let their guard down. 

He shouldn't have left the group. 

  
  


He finally spots the house off in the distance, and a pit falls in his stomach...something's wrong. He can see a lot of them outside. As he gets closer, he realizes Gavin, Trevor and Jack are the ones outside. They go wide-eyed when they see Michael. Something happened.

  
  


Michael feels like he's moving to the group in slow motion. Everything stops.

"Guys—" Michael looks down and feels his heart crawl up into his throat. Lindsay is lying limp on the ground with a slash in their neck. They'd been clawed apart, the blood soaking into their bleach blonde hair.

  
  


"Is...they aren't...what..." Michael feels his breath quicken, as he takes a step backwards, feeling dizzy. 

"Michael..." Gavin steps towards him.

"What happened?!" Michael gasps through tears.

"They...I wasn't..." Trevor had a hand covering his mouth, he was visibly shaking. 

"A zombie attacked them...we...we tried to help them but..." Jack hugs himself, he had been crying. "It got to them before we could..."

"I...I don't...why didn't you do something?!" Michael's vision is blurred, and he can't understand any words anyone is trying to say to him. He can't breath. Michael can't breath. Everything is spinning. 

He felt a firm hand rest on his shoulder. 

"...Michael..." Gavin's soft voice almost calmed Michael, until his regret and anger overtook him. 

He looks at Gavin with hurt, rage, confusion, every emotion he could feel in the span of seconds. Yet Gavin does not flinch. He doesn't react. He just stands there, staring at Michael calmly, sorrow in his eyes. 

Then Michael looks around at everyone. They were all looking at him. He backed up, his eyes going wide. He rushes into the house, away from everyone. 

  
  


He hears Gavin calling for him, but ignores him. He just wants the world to go away.


	5. Downward Spiral

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning:  
> Minor mentions of s*icide

Two weeks had passed since Lindsay's death, and Steffie hadn't been seen since. 

Jack had sent out search parties trying to find her, but there was little hope for everyone. Geoff had tried radioing her, to no avail. They had been working on fixing it. However without Steffie, fixing tech was a difficult task. Jack was trying to stay positive, but he wasn't sure himself if Steffie was still out there. Everything that _could_ go wrong, had. 

They've all been trying to distract themselves from this with tedious tasks around the house. Jack chose farming, which almost always seemed to help clear his thoughts, to calm his mind.

The sun is high in the sky at this point in the day, making the thick air seem so much hotter. 

"Uh, hey. Trevor. Do you think you could get me some wood? I'm expanding the farm a bit." Jack asks Trevor, who was sitting not too far away from him. He jumps at the sound of his name. 

Trevor looks confused for a second, until realization struck his face. 

"Oh. Sure...you got it, Jack." Then Trevor immediately walks off without waiting for a reply from Jack and he sighs. 

He was trying to keep everyone's thoughts off of reality, but they had picked up on this already. Jack didn't care. He wanted to help them in any way he could. 

Jack tried sending Michael out, but he refused. He had barely been outside since Lindsay's death, and this worried Jack to no end. Isolation wasn't going to help him, not in their new normal. He turned back to the farm, and began planting some seeds. 

As he's working, Geoff strolls up to him. "Hey, Jack..." Geoff calls. "You doing alright?"

"Yeah, just planting seeds. How's the radio doing?" Jack grins. 

"Same as always...you need any help?" Geoff offers, gesturing towards nothing in particular. 

"Uh...I mean, if you want to get me some more seeds from the field? I don't think I have enough left to fill the garden." Jack chuckles. 

Geoff nods, offering a warm smile. "Gotcha," and he takes off in the direction Jack had said to go. 

The others run in and out throughout the day, pulling Jack from his thoughts, asking him if he needs help, saying they're going to do something, or just making smalltalk.

Yet, Jack doesn't mind the distractions. The longer he's alone, the more he thinks. 

And thinks

And thinks...

At this point everyone had been busied with jobs as Jack continued digging, and burying seeds, and watering, and walking, and walking. And walking. Jack was pacing around the garden. This is the longest he's had to himself in weeks, and he hated it. He kept getting lost in his own head. Maybe he should just call everyone back, and they could all stay by the house today. 

Jack spots Geoff plodding back with a basket filled with seeds, to which he instantly smiles. He runs over to walk with Geoff, and to have someone to talk with, to distract him. He was still shaken by everything, but he couldn't let the others see that. They needed him to be strong right now.

All he could do is put up a front for them.

* * *

Gavin was humming a lighthearted tune as he headed off to the desert to retrieve a cactus. He held a small clay pot he had found in one of the chests in his hands. The sun was boiling, but he was determined to get a plant growing in this pot. He needed something to take care of, something he could control.

He spots Jeremy off in the distance, crouched down by a cave and it's enough to drive his curiosity away from his initial plan. Jeremy is quick to spot Gavin, with his bright green scarf among the browned out environment. "Gavin!" Jeremy waves him over.

"Jeremy? What are you doing?" Gavin walks to his side cautiously. 

"I heard something in there, it sounds weird." Jeremy points within the cave. 

"Then...walk away...?" Gavin looks from the cave to Jeremy, wide-eyed, clutching the pot in his hands.

"What if it's another person..." Jeremy doesn't take his eyes off the darkness. 

"That's impossible, Jeremy. And you know it." Gavin says sternly. "We shouldn't be here—"

A groaning noise from within the cave freezes the two in place. It sounded almost human, but too distorted. 

"That sounds like someone..." Jeremy readied a sword. 

"Jeremy, no! This is crazy! Let's go, now." Gavin hissed. 

"Gavin! This could be someone hurt." Jeremy protests.

Gavin grabs Jeremy's arm, trying to pull him back. "That's suicide, don't do this. Let's go back."

"Gavin, if this is someone who needs help, I wanna help them! I can't let them die. If this is some creature, I don't want it going back to the house and let someone else die. Let me do this, please." Jeremy looks Gavin in the eyes, pleading for him to understand.

Gavin sits for a moment, hesitating. As much as he hated to admit it, he trusted Jeremy. Against his better judgement, Gavin lets him go. He takes off into the cave, out of Gavin's field of view. 

More of the distorted human-like noises become audible.

Gavin couldn't move, his heart threatening to break through his ribcage. He couldn't breath. Every passing second was pure agony. 

_What have I done?_ He should have stopped Jeremy, what was he thinking? This was stupid. He was stupid. Gavin thought about running back to the others for help, but he couldn't leave Jeremy. But there was no way Gavin would be able to fight off whatever attacks Jeremy. There's no way.

Jeremy's scream broke the heavy silence filling the air. 

"Jeremy?!" Gavin calls out.

"Gav!--" Jeremy lets out a hoarse cry.

Gavin darts into the cave against all better judgement, rounding a sharp corner, causing him to nearly ram right into a stumbling Jeremy. He grabs onto Jeremy's arms to support him. 

"Jere, are—" Gavin glances behind his friend and spots a humanoid creature, it's grey hair covering one eye. It's dagger-like nails coming out of rotting, yellowed skin.

Gavin nearly gags at the stench as he tries to drag Jeremy out of the cave. A claw grabs Gavin's scarf, dragging him backwards. Gavin loses his grip on Jeremy, and the two crash to the ground. The creature looks down at Gavin, letting out a distorted cry. It lifts a bony hand, ready to swipe at Gavin. He closes his eyes tight, waiting for the creature to kill him, waiting.

But it never did. 

The creature instead screeches a noise Gavin wished he could erase from his mind. He opens his eyes and spots a sword, lodged in the creature's chest. He bolts up, as it slams to the ground. Gavin whirls around, expecting to see Jeremy somehow standing.

Instead, he spots Michael, scowling at the dying creature.

"M-Michael?" Gavin gasps.

Michael looks over at Gavin, his expression quickly softening. "Are you guys okay?!"

Gavin nods. "I'm fine...but...that thing did something to Jeremy."

Gavin stands and makes his way to Jeremy, who was slightly shaking where he lays on the ground. 

"Jer, you okay?" Gavin asks, quietly. 

Jeremy lifts his head, carefully nodding. "The thing...scratched my arm..." 

Gavin looks closely at the corpses' claw. A thick, black liquid was dripping down it's boney hand. The same liquid was leaking from Jeremy's wound. 

Poison.

"Come on, buddy." Michael helps Jeremy to his feet, and the three make their way out of the cave. Jeremy leans on Michael for support, as Gavin trails slightly behind, looking around them cautiously. 

After a while of walking in silence, Gavin looks over at Michael. "How'd you find us?" He asks. 

"Jack wanted me to get you two...he says he saw you head to the desert so...I headed that way and heard you two in the cave..." Michael shrugs, looking forward. 

"Why'd Jack want us?" Gavin raises an eyebrow. 

"Uh...I..." Michael pauses. Gavin tries to make eye contact with Michael.

"We think we may have reached Steffie through the radio..." 

"What...?!" Jeremy's head jolts up. 

"Did she answer? Is she alright? Are we gonna go look for her?!" Gavin looks at Michael frantically. Michael doesn't answer and Gavin stops questioning him.

They make it to the house in one piece, thankfully. Jack is sitting by the garden, head in his hands. Michael takes Jeremy inside, leaving Gavin alone to walk over to Jack. 

"Hey..." Gavin sits next to him. "Did we get through to her?" 

Jack shakes his head. "It's not broken...there's no way. It has to be something on her end..." Gavin's heart sank at that comment. Jack's head went back into his hands, as he let out a sob. 

"We're gonna be okay, Jack. We'll find her, I promise." Gavin puts an arm around Jack. 

"I just...I really thought..." He sighs, trying to calm himself. "I really thought we'd be able to contact her...I really thought we'd found her..." 

Gavin sighs, "I know...but Steffie’s tough...we'll..." He notices Trevor talking with Geoff off in the distance. "We'll get her back."

Jack doesn't say anything. The two stay like that for a while, just watching the day go by.

* * *

Alfredo is unwrapping one of his old bandages to replace it. He had found an iron helmet within the chests, next to some more of the armor, and he just felt safe wearing it for some reason.

The door slams open, causing Alfredo to yelp. He sees Michael standing by the entrance, Jeremy unconscious in his arms. 

"Michael?! Jeremy?! What happened?!" Alfredo gasps. 

Michael carefully lays Jeremy down on one of the beds. "There was this creature in a cave...I'm not sure what it was, but it poisoned him."

"Is he gonna be okay?!" Alfredo stiffens. 

"Of course he is." Michael snaps, causing Alfredo to flinch. "He's not gonna die from a stupid scratch." Alfredo lowers his head. He adjusts the helmet on his head to cover his eyes. 

"Is that my armor?" Michael points to the armor. 

Alfredo gulps, yanking the helmet off his head. "Uh...yeah...I mean...I'm sorry, you can have it back I...I—" Alfredo handed it over to Michael. 

"It's fine, keep the helmet." Michael tosses it to Alfredo, who barely catches it. "The rest of the armor is still mine." He explains.

"I...thanks..." Alfredo shakily says. 

"Hey, get Jeremy some water, okay?" Michael orders. 

Alfredo dips his head and bolts out of the house without a word. 

As the sun hits his face, he notices Jack and Gavin sitting by the garden. He feels a pang of sadness in his chest, as he sees the two looking utterly defeated. Steffie had disappeared without a trace, and that terrified Alfredo. Alfredo couldn't handle losing both Steffie and Lindsay at the same time, it was all too much. 

He's pulled from his thoughts when he notices a grotesque zombie inching its way towards an oblivious Jack and Gavin. "Jack! Watch out!" Alfredo rushes over, picking up a nearby twig and swinging it at the zombie with his one good arm. 

"'Fredo, no!" Alfredo hears Trevor, Gavin and Jack shout in unison. 

He swings the stick towards the zombie, causing it to back down for a moment. But only a moment, as it swings its arm at Alfredo, and knocks the stick out of his hands. 

"Ah—" Alfredo stumbles backwards, and falls to the ground. He throws up his arms in defense, as the zombie growls at him.

A sword swipes at the zombie almost instantly, decapitating it. 

Alfredo whirls around and sees Geoff standing there with the sword in his hands. He is looking at Alfredo, a mixture of emotions across his face.

"Geoff! I—"

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Geoff shouts. "I...I was just trying to help...I—" Alfredo stumbles for words. "I'm sorry...I..."

"You could have gotten killed! You can't fight for shit, and you know that!" Geoff throws the sword to the ground with a clang. 

Alfredo flinches at the sound. "I...I'm sorry, Geoff...I thought Jack was in danger...I just—" 

"Jack can handle himself. You can't. You can barely walk." Geoff storms back to the house, leaving Alfredo sitting in shock. 

Trevor and Jack glance over at Alfredo for a moment, then Jack and Gavin follow Geoff inside. Trevor stays back for a moment, looking at Alfredo in what he can only pinpoint as pity. It killed him.

"Geoff could've worded it better, but you just...need to be careful, 'Fredo..." Trevor then turns and follows the others inside, leaving Alfredo alone.

Alfredo sighs, forcing himself to stand. He limps off to the small hill by the house, and sits, looking out at the field. Focusing on the swift breeze flowing past him.


	6. Resurfaced

It had been weeks and still no sign of Steffie. They had been unable to reach her radio, despite both of theirs working perfectly. Something was wrong on Steffie’s end. They had been sending out groups to search for her, with no luck. The group had been getting more frustrated with the constant bad news. 

Michael was annoyed beyond belief with Jack calling a "family meeting" due to the house being unorganized. Such a simple issue he decided to make into a huge deal.

"It's not that difficult. Food here, weapons here, craft materials here, others here!" Jack points to each chest he had previously labeled, until Michael had ripped off the labels in an attempt of protest. 

"It's not even our fault, it's Gavin who doesn't know how to keep the damn house clean..." Jeremy mumbles, still bed ridden. "Why can't you just lecture him?!" 

Jack puts his head in his hands, "You're still a part of the problem! You're making weapons out of wood! That's wasting wood! Just use stone!" Jack yells. 

"At least I'm making weapons..." Jeremy crosses his arms. 

"Hey, if anyone has leftover wood, could you give it to me? I'm working on making some buttons!" Alfredo raises his hand slightly, his shoulders going up as well. 

"You don't need more buttons!" Trevor sighs. 

"It's easy to make, and plus we can rig stuff around the house for when monsters show up!" Alfredo defends himself, sinking back down.

"Does anyone have any diamond?! I swear I saw some earlier." Gavin pipes up.

"No, Gavin! And if we did, you could look in the 'Others' chest! See how easy that is instead of looting through every chest?" Jack belittles everyone.

"It wouldn't go in Others. It'd go in Craft Materials." Geoff stands up from the corner.

"No, you don't need them for crafting so it's an 'other'." Jack states.

"Nah, I'm with Geoff on this one." Jeremy shrugs. "Money value is obsolete. It's for weapons."

"Thank you, Jeremy." Geoff looks at Jeremy.

"Fine! I'll just go ahead and make another chest for gems, how about that?! Would that make everyone happy?!" Jack throws his hands up, looking at everyone.

"I mean, yeah." Trevor nods.

"Oh my _god_ —" 

Everyone erupted into arguing. Michael snickered at everyone. Still managing to fight over petty stuff even in this time. Michael looks over, and notices Alfredo is sitting on the edge of one of the beds, he is looking off to the side, he seems tired. One of the buttons he had crafted was in his hands, he kept pressing it. 

Michael walks over to him. "Hey, Fredo." 

Alfredo sighs, "Hey..." his voice barely audible over the fighting. 

"Come on, cabin fever is taking over these morons." Without waiting for a response, Michael leaves the house, and Alfredo puts down the button, following close behind. They walk in silence for a moment, then sit on the hill, facing away from the house, out to the field.

After a moment, Alfredo sighs. "I just...I wish they wouldn't fight. It's so petty!" 

Michael looks down, "I know...but hey, this shit ain't new. They've always been at each other's throats." Michael grins. "But, the one person who could always stop our arguing was..." Michael's smile drops. 

Alfredo pauses, looking down. "I'm sorry, Michael..." 

Michael shrugs, "Not your fault. Lindsay let their guard down. I guess I should've expected this."

 _"How can you shrug this off like it's nothing?"_ Only, Alfredo doesn't say that. He just sighs, trying to ignore Michael's comment. 

Alfredo gets an idea. "Y'know...I still don't know a lot about fighting, but you do—"

"No." Michael doesn't look over at Alfredo, focusing on the field in front of him.

"Come on, Michael."

"No."

Alfredo frowns, returning his gaze to the ground. He begins picking at the grass beneath him, frustrated. 

Michael sighs. "If you really want to win, it's best to find a monster's weak point. Normally head, chest, or throat." He lists off on his fingers. "Keep your guard up, don't let them sense weakness." 

Alfredo pauses for a moment. "Thanks." He smiles. 

"Alfredo! There you are!" Trevor rushes out of the house. "Thank God..." 

Alfredo grumbles, "I'm fine, just needed to get out of that mess." 

Michael asks, "Is everything okay?"

Geoff rushes over to them. "It's Steffie."

* * *

Steffie had gotten turned around weeks ago, lost underground. Her radio is not working. It was able to receive messages, but not transmit them. She'd been working nonstop, trying to fix it, however she'd begun growing sick within the past week, breathing becoming a more difficult task. The radiation levels within the earth were higher than the surface, and she had been exposed to it for weeks, causing the deterioration in her lung capacity. Steffie knew she had to get the radio working. She had been trying for weeks, with no luck. A spider had attacked her within the cave, knocking the radio from her and taking it back to a nest. Steffie managed to get it back, but the spider had snapped most of the wires. This had both destroyed the radio and any hope of her getting out of the cave.

She had stopped her search for the cave's exit briefly to have one more attempt. She gripped on some of the torn wires, and felt a sharp shock on her hand. She drops the radio in shock. "Ow! Motherfu—" Steffie coughs cut her off. She looks back to the radio, laying on the ground, and quickly picks it up. 

_It's okay._

"Oh thank God..." Steffie sighs. She carefully grips the severed wire again, and uses what little tape from her backpack he had left to once again attempt to tie them together. They had to be in just the right spot for this to work. She hears a click, then static. Did it work? Her heart skips a beat, then cautiously presses the button. The static goes silent. If this didn't work, Steffie's not sure what she's going to do. "Geoff..." Steffie gasps hoarsely.

A moment goes by, the static fills the silent room.

"Geoff...please..." Steffie closes her eyes tight, waiting.

The static sound within the silence of the cave walls was deafening to Steffie. She hates the sound. Every second passing is absolute agony, every moment without an answer is torture.

_"...Steff?! Is that you?!"_ She hears Geoff. Geoff hears her! They heard each other! It worked!

"Geoff!" Steffie presses the button again. "Geoff it's me!" 

Geoff cries into the radio, _"What happened?! Where are you?!"_

"In...in the caves near the house...I don't kn—" Steffie begins hacking once more, nearly causing herself to puke. 

_"Stay where you are, Stef,"_ Geoff's stern voice overtook any softness in his tone. _"We're gonna come find you, okay?"_ Geoff orders. 

Steffie shakes her head. "No. I mean...I should move...I can try meeting you...or—"

_"No, Steffie. You're staying right where you are. No questions."_

"But, Geoff..." Steffie tried talking into the radio, but the sudden motion she makes causes the wires to come loose once more, shutting the radio off. "Dammit..." Steffie doesn't care what Geoff says. She needs them. She needs Lindsay's optimism, Geoff's leadership, Jack's guidance, Jeremy's stability. She needed them, she missed them. She had to find them, she had to. 

She forces herself to stand, and begins stumbling around the tunnels. Turning this way and that, blindly grabbing to the walls for support. The air was thick, and Steffie couldn't breath, but something told her to look. It was as if something was guiding her through the caves. 

She’s not sure how, but she feels like she just knows where to go. She can't explain it.

Finally, she saw something she didn't before. Light. Towards the end of the cave, there was light. She uses the last bit of her energy to run as fast as her legs would carry her. 

Rocks covered the exit, but Steffie was determined now. She used what little strength she had left to toss rocks aside, clawing her way to freedom. Her body screamed at her to stop, but Steffie wasn't ready to give up. She heard a loud crunch, but ignored it. She can't give up now.

Keep going. _Keep going._

She finally felt the heat of the sun shining on her face. Steffie tosses the remaining rocks aside, collapsing into the sand beneath her, the fresh air a blessing she previously took for granted. She rolled herself onto her back. Tears were running down her face. She looked up at the sky, which almost seemed it's normal blue color once more. Steffie closes her eyes, focusing on her breathing. Her breaths were short, but she was breathing. She had small cuts on her hands from the rocks, but that was the last thing on her mind right now.

_She was alive._

When she finally gains the strength to sit up, she looks around, and to her dismay, she realizes she was in the middle of a seemingly endless desert. She takes a deep breath, waiting for that feeling from the caves to point her in the right direction, but it never came. 

She wanted to radio for Geoff, but the radio was gone from herbag. Steffie frantically looks back to the cave entrance, and much to her fear, sees the radio in pieces on the ground. It must've broken when she was digging. She picks up the smashed radio, looking at it sorrowfully. 

She left the cave once more, looking around her. The sun was hot and being in the middle of a desert with no food or water left was definitely not helping at all. She knew they had a desert close to the house, and that would've been helpful, if there was an end to the sand in sight, but it extended to the horizon in every direction. Steffie looked towards where the sun was setting. "Alright...the desert was...south of the house...I think...so, if I just head west...unless I'm on the other side of the..." Steffie looks around. She needs to make a decision that didn't rely on a random gut feeling, that seemed to pick and choose when it wanted to be helpful. She finally sighs, and decides to head west. She’s not sure if the inner voice had returned, or if she was just hoping she was heading the right way, but nonetheless, _she had to keep moving._


	7. Deadly Wounds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Graphic description of a dead body

Jeremy was wandering through the jungle in search of Steffie. It had been three days of house arrest, but he had finally gotten most of the poison out of his system, and it was an absolute bitch. He still couldn't focus that well, the edges of his vision still blurry, but that didn't let him stop his daily Steffie patrol. Jeremy was thrilled when they told him Steffie had contacted them yesterday, but he had still been bed ridden. He wanted to go look for Steffie immediately, but Geoff wouldn't allow it. So the second he was able to, he left, the third of the radios in his bag.

He looks over his shoulder and spots a moss-covered building. "Huh...what are you?" Jeremy sneaks over to the tall stone wall. Upon closer inspection, he notices the stone has enormous cracks running up it, the moss growing out the side. He ran his hand across it. It's been here a while. Jeremy paused for a moment, then looked into the broken windows of the building. It was pitch black inside, the stones creaked with age. He took a step in where a door had been broken down, and saw a chicken carcass on the ground. "Ugh! Gross..."

Blood seeps out of the chicken as he realizes that it was just recently killed. Something nearby must have done it. There were slashes on the bird's neck, its eyes glassed over, mouth hanging open. Whatever it was, Jeremy doesn't want to stick around to find out.

He's about to turn back around when he hears a rustle within. He turns and spots a small red parrot, tangled in some vines that had begun to drape down the walls. It was flapping its wings frantically, wide eyes darting around the room. 

"Hey, little guy..." Jeremy mumbles. The bird looks at him, scared. Jeremy feels a pang in his chest for the little creature. He can't bring himself to leave it stuck alone, so he makes his way over, carefully untangling the parrot from the vines. He is careful to not tear it's fragile wings. Jeremy doesn't mind the bird biting at his hands, or the talons digging at his arm.

Eventually, he manages to free the creature. It sits by him for a moment, looking up at him almost as if to say thanks. At least, that's what Jeremy told himself. Then it flies off. He watches it go, until the bird is out of sight. 

There's a low groan in the building. Jeremy's head snaps back to the entryway. 

"H...hello?" He calls. The groan sounds off again. It almost sounds...human. Someone needed his help. Unless this was another monster. It sounds too human, Jeremy thought to himself. So did the witch, something told him to turn back. He tries to convince himself to leave, yet can't convince himself to turn away.

Sword in one hand, he sneaks around one of the corners, further into the darkness. He goes against everything telling him, screaming at him to turn back. The building wreaked of death, making his head hurt. He wished his eyes hadn't adjusted before his brain could register what was happening. He spots, in the middle of the room, a man, who now had his stomach ripped and guts exposed. Blood covered his once white shirt, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. Jeremy stumbled backwards, ready to gag. He recognized what had happened instantly. 

Zombie attack. 

It's just what Lindsay's wounds had looked like, with the claw scratches. The image of Lindsay laying dead on the ground flashed in Jeremy's mind. He saw them, defenseless and scared. Alone. He takes a step back. Jeremy was shaking, and sweat began dripping down his face. The man had blood spewing out of his wounds. There were fresh tears in his eyes, and his skin was still pink. He just died. A charcoal blackness had begun to form on the man’s arms. He couldn't move. He hadn't been able to turn around before he heard a growl behind him. A zombie was still eating on some flesh it had dragged from the man. 

There had been other survivors. Jeremy's body began responding to his brain, and he slowly began backing up, attempting to not alert the zombie of his presence. It's chewing was loud enough to drown out Jeremy's heavy breathing. 

_How had they not found other survivors?_

_Was this person alone?_

The zombie looks up at him, lashing at him for a moment, but didn't follow Jeremy as he ran. It was too focused on the flesh it was gnawing on. Once he is out of the building, he bolts back towards the others as quickly as possible. He finally notices night has fallen. How long had he been gone? They must be worried sick. Jeremy began running faster, trying to shake his thoughts from the man, drowning in his own blood. How Jeremy could've saved him had he gotten there a few moments before. He thought about Matt, and how they just presumed him dead. Jeremy can't help but think. 

_If there had been other survivors like them, could he still be out there?_

For now, he keeps running.

* * *

Gavin was pacing the field outside, calling out for Jeremy. He had disappeared hours ago in search of Steffie, and everyone was sick with worry. Gavin had decided to go and look for him. He couldn't lose another one of his friends. He misses Lindsay, he's worried sick about Steffie, and he doesn't want Jeremy to go missing too, or worse...

He had only told Alfredo where he was going, which wasn't the smartest plan, but at least he wouldn't try to stop him before telling the others. All he cared about was finding Jeremy.

His thoughts are interrupted as he steps in some green mucus within the grass beneath him.

"Gross...the hell is this?!" Gavin fumbles backwards. The goop began to rise, and bubble up. Gavin panics and backs up some more. "What the Christ is that?!"

A scratch in his back makes him whirl around. A completely skeletal zombie is swiping at him. Gavin yelps, and draws his sword. He hits the skeleton directly in its heart, or where it would've been, and slams it to the ground. He crushes it's delicate skull beneath his foot. He sighs, and stands up. He spies two giant spiders running at him at top speed. Gavin can only scream as one of the spiders leaps onto his chest, sending him to the ground. He manages to kick it off, giving the other spider enough time to run up to him, and send its fangs deep into his forearm. He yelped in pain. Then, a green rotting pig had dragged itself over to Gavin, and sat for a moment, staring at him with blackened eyes. The pig opened its mouth, revealing bloodied fangs, until it screeched, exploding the area around it, leaving Gavin's ears ringing. He winces at the pain, everything momentarily going blurry. The spider had been flung off of his arm in the explosion and as Gavin's adrenaline kicks in, he hoists himself up, only for another spider to grip onto his leg, biting into his calf. He kicks the bastard off of his leg and Gavin limps away as quickly as his good leg could take him. Somewhere in the attack, he lost his sword. He's not sure when, it all happened so fast.

To his right, a zombie is charging at him, jagged nails swiping towards Gavin. It claws at his face, leaving a slight scratch over his eye. Gavin collapses to the ground, his adrenaline wearing off and being overtaken by pain and shock. He tried crawling away, but another skeleton dug its claws into Gavin's legs, dragging him backwards. Gavin looks around for anything to help him, however his vision begins going blurry, and his muscles are becoming weaker. He sees a sword fly past him, as his vision goes dark, and his eyelids become heavy.

He doesn't know how or when, but eventually lets himself fall into the darkness.

* * *

"Will he be okay?"

"Yeah, he just needs rest..."

Gavin wasn't able to open his eyes, he couldn't move his body. He felt paralyzed.

"Jeremy, we were all worried sick about you!"

_Jeremy. Jeremy was there. He was alive!_

"I found a building and—"

"We don't give a shit about that! We want to make sure you're alive!"

"Michael, let him talk..."

_Michael!_

"I...I just..." Jeremy sounded like he was trying to find the words.

And then, Gavin saw light. He was able to open his eyes. He looked around the room and saw his friends. He counted seven. Seven of his friends.

"Guys..." Gavin squeaked out. 

"Gavin! You're okay!" Alfredo embraces him. 

"Fredo, be careful..." Trevor laughs. 

"Sorry..." Alfredo mumbles, however he refuses to let Gavin go.

"Are you okay, Gavin?" Jack rushes to Gavin's side.

Gavin smiles and nods.

"Dude! It was insane!" Alfredo pulls away from Gavin. He begins gesturing wildly with his arms. "We noticed you were gone, and everyone was like 'Where's Gavin' and so, Jack was going to go looking for you, but Michael said he'd do it, so he left, and me and Jack followed to make sure he was okay, and we saw you getting attacked, so Michael sprinted out there and threw his sword right into a zombie's chest, it was insane!" Alfredo was smiling brightly whilst describing the story.

Gavin laughs. "Thanks for the catchup, Fredo...how long was I out for?"

"Only a day, which is surprising. Don't overdo yourself, okay?" Jack orders. "I don't want you walking for a while."

Gavin nods, then turns his head to a silent Michael, who was eyeing everyone from his side of the room. Gavin smiled at him as a silent thank you, and Michael nodded. Gavin swore he saw the faintest smirk on his face.


	8. Confiding

Alfredo had taken a walk out to the sap Lindsay had planted only a few months ago. He was sitting underneath what had now grown into a small tree, no taller than Alfredo. He had made it a habit to begin taking walks to talk to Lindsay whenever he needed to talk, which was often. The two hadn't been close, but Alfredo takes comfort in talking to Lindsay, and having someone who'll listen.

He'd been sitting in silence for quite some time now, listening to the wind rustle the leaves behind him. He leaned against the bark of the tree, giving him comfort. He'd been feeling isolated from the others as of late, not being able to fight, not good at building or at farming. "Lindsay...I know that I've been coming out here a lot, but...I'd just...we really need your help... _I_ really need your help..." Alfredo sighs, looking out into the field beyond him. "Michael misses you...a lot. He doesn't say it but...I can tell...he's barely talked since you..." Alfredo takes a deep breath, choking down any tears. "...we can't find Steffie...we haven't heard from her in almost a month now..." Alfredo hugs his knees. "I'm scared, Lindsay...I don't know what to do..."

As another breeze rushes by, Alfredo closes his eyes, focusing on the noise. Focusing on his breathing. He feels tears roll down his face, but doesn't move. He just lets them fall, crying for the first time since everything happened. Since the world turned against all of them.

He hadn't known the others long before it all happened, but in that time they had become like family to him. You think the end of the world would bring everyone closer together, but it only seemed to have torn them apart. 

They used to laugh together, they used to have fun. But now it seems like everything they do just causes more tension. He wishes everything could just go back to normal, that he'd wake up and realize this had all been some twisted nightmare... 

A loud **_clap_** of thunder jolts Alfredo awake. He had no clue how long he'd been out there, or when he had fallen asleep. The sky was completely overcast now, and hot rain was pouring down on him. He jumps to his feet, and begins running back to the house. The rain was clouding Alfredo's vision, and soaking him head to toe, but still he kept running. A bright flash of lightning stops him momentarily, stunning him, but he shook his head and continued running. 

He makes it to the door, and slams it open. Everyone was inside and staring at him, wide-eyed. 

" _Alfredo_ Where were you?!" Trevor gasps. 

"I'm sorry...I took a walk out to L—" 

Geoff stands, "What did we say about going out alone?! You can't do that!" 

Alfredo stutters, "I just...I needed to..." _I needed to get away from you guys._ "...I don't know..." 

Geoff sighs and rubs his forehead, "You don't need to go out alone. Take someone with you. Honestly, Alfredo, please just use your head next time. You're stressing me out..." 

Alfredo is taken aback. ...I'm _stressing_ you _out?! Have any of you assholes even asked how I've felt this entire time! I'm not a child! I don't need to be treated like one! I'm just as upset about Lindsay's death as anyone! I'm just as scared for Steffie as anyone!_

Only Alfredo doesn't say that.

He does what everyone expects, and stays silent, keeping every single thought to himself. There's no need to start anything. He sits down on one of the beds, back facing everyone, who were now murmuring about what just happened. Alfredo closes his eyes, not wanting to hear them. He buries his face in the pillow, so they can't see how red his face has become with frustration.

* * *

Trevor had been worried for Alfredo. Something was clearly bothering him, but he was refusing to say anything. Every time he brought it up to Alfredo, he just shrugged it off, or assured he was fine. Trevor didn't buy it, however. He could tell Alfredo disappearing for extended amounts of time wasn't him just needing to 'stretch his legs'. 

Alfredo was sitting on the hillside, staring out at the sunrise, Trevor laying in the grass near the farm. Geoff hadn't allowed Alfredo to walk off without someone since he was lost in the storm a few days prior, and everyone had been sure to keep a close watch on him. 

Trevor sighs, and decides to go sit by Alfredo. The two don't say anything to each other for a while. 

Alfredo is the first to break the silence. "What are you doing?" 

Trevor shrugs, "I'm just making sure you're okay." 

Alfredo doesn't move his gaze from the field. "I'm fine." 

Trevor tries to meet his eyes, "You sure?" 

Alfredo nods, "I found a hole in the ground nearby the farm. I'm thinking about maybe turning it into a safety bunker." Still not looking over. 

"Oh...do you need help with that?" Trevor offers. 

Alfredo finally looks at him. "Uh...sure. If you want. I need some wood planks...I think...for the walls..." 

Trevor stands, "I can get some of that!" 

Alfredo cocks his head, "Really?" 

Trevor smiles, "Yeah, I'm bored anyways. Just tell Geoff where I'm going!" 

Alfredo returns the smile. "Okay."

Trevor heads out with an axe in hand, his other hand shielding the sun from his eyes. The sun is high in the sky, and is beating down on him. The air in his lungs burns, but he keeps walking.

After about half an hour, Trevor got some wood from the trees and was about to head back, when some buildings out in the desert caught his eye. He crosses into the sandy biome, thinking maybe there's some materials in the abandoned houses. Upon closer investigation, he spots something moving within the house. "Hello...?" Trevor calls. The shuffling within the house stops. He cautiously steps over to the door, and pushes it so it's slightly ajar. 

A zombie is rolling on the ground. It turns over, staring at Trevor with large, sunken eyes. It then utters a mangled cry, and begins crawling towards him. 

Trevor slams the door shut. 

_Nope!_

He whirls around and begins heading back. He'd seen movies before, and is definitely not risking his life to investigate whatever that was. But something stops him in his tracks. He remembers Jeremy coming back, telling everyone about the recently decayed human. They had all tried to forget about it, shake the thought from their mind. But Trevor wondered if that really was a zombie, or a dying human. He realizes he hadn't gotten a good look at it within the darkness of the walls. If it was a human, maybe the others could still help them. 

Trevor convinces himself to turn back cautiously to the house, despite something in him telling him not to. 

"Hey...are you..." Trevor gulps. "Are you...human?" The groaning returns. "I think...we may still be able to help you...if we can..." Trevor peaks into the window of the house. He doesn't see anything. "Hello?" 

He can still hear the groaning, but it echoed through the whole house, making it impossible to tell where it was coming from. He leans slightly into the house, listening. A blackened, charred arm grabbed his, almost dragging him into the house. He yelps. The decaying zombie swings out of the window, nearly swiping at Trevor's face. 

He yelps, shaking his arm free. "Okay...not human!" Trevor breaths, backing up. 

The zombie crawls over the window, landing on the sandy ground below. It's missing both its legs so running after Trevor isn't an option. It was crawling noticeably quick, though. He finally listens to the inner voice yelling at him to run, and begins bolting in the other direction, completely disregarding the wood he'd collected for Alfredo. 

As he heads back, his arms begin cramping. He pauses for a moment, turning back and not seeing anything following him. The pain grows dull, so Trevor starts heading back once more, now at a walking pace. He begins thinking about how to explain to Alfredo that he didn’t get the wood for him.

A sharp pain goes through his head, and he stumbles for a second. Once he regains his footing, he begins walking back to the others, until another pain goes through his head, this one more persistent. "Ow...shit..." Trevor puts a hand on his forehead. His vision begins to fade in and out, and he becomes very dizzy.

He quickly collapses to the ground with a thud, as his vision fades to black.

* * *

"Don't you think you're being a little too hard on him?" Jack asks. 

Geoff was watching Alfredo as he and Jack worked on the farm. "No, he keeps wandering off, Jack. He nearly got killed in that cave before, remember?" 

Jack sighs, "Geoff...I know you want to keep him safe, but guarding him twenty four-seven isn't the way to go about that." 

Geoff pauses. He knows Jack is right, but he doesn't know how else to keep Alfredo from leaving. "I can't lose anymore of you guys." Geoff sighs. 

"I know..." Jack pulls Geoff into a hug. "I promise, we're going to find Steffie. Everything will be okay. But...we-we can't keep them under lock and key." 

Geoff sighs. "I know..." 

Jack gives a sad smile, "I get you just want to keep them safe, I do too." 

Geoff turns to him. "Jack—"

"Jack!" Jeremy's voice cuts him off. 

"You okay, Jer—" Jack looks at his friend, and stops when he notices an unconscious Trevor in his arms. "What happened?!" 

Alfredo rushes over to them. "Oh god. Is he okay?!" 

Panic fills his expression, "I don't know...I was walking back from the jungle, and...he was just passed out in the field...he's alive though!" Jeremy explains. 

"Alright...get him inside." Jack leads the others inside their house, instructing Jeremy to lay Trevor on one of the cots. Jack rummages through their cooler, and finds a water bottle. He rushes over to Trevor, and places the bottle on his forehead, as a substitute for an ice pack. 

Jeremy takes the second bottle, and pours some water onto his hand, and places it on Trevor's face. 

"What happened?" Gavin sat up from his bed. 

"We don't know...he was just passed out in the field." Jeremy explains. "He probably got dehydrated..." 

Gavin interrogates, "Why was he out there?" 

Alfredo looks like he's going to say something, but he chokes on the words. 

"Alfredo do you know something?" Geoff questions. 

Alfredo looks up at Geoff. "I..." 

Jack squints his eyes suspiciously, "You what?" Jack walks over. 

"I sent him out..." Alfredo looks down at the grassy floor. 

"You what?!" Geoff shouts. 

"I told him I was trying to build a bunker, and he offered to help, so I asked if he could go get wood!" Alfredo defends himself. 

"He could have died!" Geoff shouts. "You sent him out on a suicide mission, Alfredo it is the middle of a scorching hot day! And you didn't tell us—" 

Jack looks to him, "Geoff." 

Geoff looks down and notices Alfredo's eyes are shut tight, his head lowered. 

"I—" Geoff looks around. Everyone's looking at him. "I'm...I'm sorry Alfredo..." He turns back to Alfredo, who looks up at him slightly. "It's not your fault..."

Alfredo nods, returning his gaze to the ground. They all stay there for a while, trying to get their friend's temperature back to normal. 

"I'm gonna go get Michael." Jeremy stands. "Make sure he's okay." 

Gavin stares at the ceiling as he explains, "He was getting fish last I heard." Still refusing to look at anyone. 

Jeremy turns, "Alright. Thanks." Then he leaves the house.

Geoff looks over at Alfredo, who is sitting by Trevor, a concerned expression on his face. He feels guilt clawing at him. He frowns, looking over at Jack, who's getting some small bandages for Trevor, who had gotten some scratches when he fell. 

Geoff sighs, "You need help, Jack?" Jack looks up. 

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure. Here, can you put these on his face while I get some more water?" He tosses Geoff the bandages, then turns back to the chests. 

Geoff begins bandaging the small cuts on Trevor's face. 

"I'm really sorry, Geoff..." Alfredo's voice is barely audible. 

"Fredo...none of this was your fault. I'm sorry I yelled..." Geoff sighs. "It's just...ever since Lindsay...I just...don't want to lose anyone else..." 

Alfredo looks at Geoff. "I know..." 

Geoff pauses for a moment, thinking over his next words carefully. "Y'know...if you want to take more walks, and be by yourself...you're welcome to." Geoff smiles. 

Alfredo looks up at Geoff with hopeful eyes. "Really?" 

Geoff nods, "Yeah, just make sure to tell us when you're going." 

Alfredo smiles brightly at him. "Thanks, Geoff..." 

Jack smirks over at Geoff, mouthing the words _good job_ to him. Gavin looks over at Geoff with a confused look on his face. Geoff gives him a look that he hopes reads as _I'll tell you later_.

The four of them stay by Trevor's side, keeping a close eye on him for the rest of the night.


	9. Departure

"You _sure_ you're up for it?" Jeremy tilts his head to one side.

"Yeah...I need to get outta here anyways." Gavin sits up. He still isn't in the best condition, but he has drastically improved after a week of recovery. Geoff had him take walks around the farm to get his body functioning again, which had definitely helped, however, Jeremy was still worried about Gavin taking this trip with him, he's not sure how much his body can handle. Jeremy had been working nonstop to find Steffie and had decided, with much debate from Geoff and Jack, to do a bigger patrol. He had planned on heading out from sunup to sun down, and it was almost light out. 

"Fine, you can come but if anything, and I mean anything, starts to hurt or feel off, we are coming back immediately." Jeremy orders.

Gavin smiles and nods, determinedly. The two then begin packing essentials; water, snacks, weapons, etc. when a sudden voice startles them both. 

"You're wasting your time..." The two hadn't heard Michael come in. "Steffie's not answering her radio, we can't find her anywhere."

Jeremy rolls his eyes, "Which is why we have to keep looking."

"You're going to get hurt out there." 

"No we won't, Michael." Jeremy turns back to his bag. "We're going to be fine."

"Yeah you know who else said tha—" Michael stops himself, the intention behind those words seemingly hitting him. There was an uncomfortable pause between the three, none of them daring to make eye contact. Jeremy refused to breath. Michael sighs, breaking the tension. 

"I'm coming with you guys." 

Jeremy is taken aback for a second, then hesitantly nods. "Alright, I guess...you need to pack your own crap, though." Michael shrugs, "Deal." 

"Oh, Michael!" Gavin jumps up. "I made you something, hold up." He rushes over to one of the chests.

"Gavin, be careful. You should still take it easy." Jeremy looks over at Gavin, then to Michael, then back to Gavin. Gavin ignores Jeremy's comment. 

"I made this for you!" Gavin pulls out a dagger, and hands it to Michael. The blade was silver, and the handle had bits of diamonds embedded within it. Michael looks shocked for a moment, but only a moment. He quickly goes back to being unreadable.

"Thanks, Gav..." Michael smiles at Gavin, which, again, only lasts for a moment. Gavin smiles back, to which is Jeremy's cue to turn and begin leaving.

The other lads follow quickly behind him. The sun is peeking over the horizon now, they need to get moving.

"Where are you three off to?" Jack's voice calls to the trio, then pauses. "Are you going on your full day patrol?"

"Yeah..." Jeremy shrugs.

"Gavin, are you sure you can—"

"Jack, I'll be fine." Gavin smiles.

Jack looks like he's contemplating saying something, but if he was, he decides against it. "Alright, but make sure you're not out too late, and if Gavin feels off at all—"

"Don't worry, we already went over it all." Jeremy grins, which seems to slightly reassure Jack, who nods and turns back to the farm.

He whirls back to them just as quick, and hands them a small black box. A radio. "This one's all fixed. Call me and Geoff if you need anything." 

"Got it! Bye Jack!" Gavin waves.

"Bye Gav, take it easy." 

"I will! Stop worrying!" Gavin laughs, then turns.

"You know I can't." Jack nods. "I'll see you guys tonight."

"Bye, Jack!" Jeremy leads the lads off towards the woods. Then, they part ways. The lads take off into the woods, on the search for their friend.

* * *

They had all been walking for a few hours through the forest, searching the terrain, calling out Steffie’s name with no luck.

"Should we maybe climb a tree? We might be able to see her from up there." Gavin suggests.

Michael shoots a glare back. "Steffie’s underground, genius." 

"It's been a couple weeks since we heard from her! She could have possibly gotten out by now!" Gavin protests.

"He has a point...it can't hurt to try?" Jeremy heads over to a nearby tree. It has enough low hanging branches, so climbing won't be too difficult, especially considering Gavin, so they all hoist themselves up easily.

"I can't see shit." Michael complains once they reach the top.

"Maybe we're not in a good enough tree?" Gavin suggests, jumping from his spot in the tree to a nearby one, barely catching himself as he lands.

"Gavin! Careful!" Michael stiffens.

Jeremy follows after Gavin quickly, Michael not far behind. "Gavin! Don't get hurt."

"I won't!" Gavin smiles back at the two, and continues hopping between the nearby trees.

"We're gonna fall!" Michael mumbles.

Jeremy looks at the ground, which seems like it's forever from him. 

"Dude! There's a lake down here!" Gavin shouts. 

Jeremy looks up just in time to see Gavin quickly disappear over the side of the branches. Michael leaps over to the tree, gasping as he leans over the edge. Jeremy follows close behind him, gripping on a tree branch for support.

"Gavin?!" The lake is below them, as Gavin had said, but he is nowhere to be seen. Jeremy's eyes dart around frantically, when he feels his hand slip. His heart stops for a brief moment. 

Another hand quickly grabs onto his arm before he falls. Simultaneously to Michael catching him, Gavin's head breaks the water's surface below.

"I'm alright! Come down, guys!" He shouts.

Jeremy hears Michael sigh next to him, then instantly drop Jeremy into the water below. Jeremy yelps in surprise. Michael leaps in after.

Michael's head breaks the surface of the water, and he looks to Gavin, who is swimming to land. "Gavin, you moron!"

Jeremy crawls to shore, sitting up and watching the two yell at each other. 

"We needed to get out of the tree." Gavin shrugs once he is on land. 

"No we did not! You shouldn't even have been up there in the first place." Michael growls, ringing out his beanie. 

"We need to find Steffie. We couldn't see her in the tree, so we jumped down. Simple." Gavin shrugs.

Jeremy walks over to the two. "Michael, if you don't want to stay, you can head back—" 

"No!" Michael snaps, but quickly catches himself. "No...I'm fine...let's keep looking.

* * *

The trio had been walking for almost an hour at this point, and were beginning to tire.

"I spy something...green." Gavin smiles.

"Trees." Jeremy sighs in annoyance.

"Nice! Alright, I spy something green!" Gavin surprisingly is keeping up a better pace than the others, considering his injury.

"It's trees." Jeremy rubs his head.

"I spy something—"

"The trees, Gavin. They're trees."

"Okay...uh...I spy—"

"I spy something I'm gonna punch in the face if it doesn't shut the hell up." Michael buds in. 

"Well now I spy something angry and bitter..." Gavin mumbles. 

"I spy something annoying the shit out of me." Michael stops, glaring at Gavin. 

"Michael, what is your problem. I'm just trying to cheer you saps up! We didn't ask you to come out here." Gavin narrows his eyes.

Michael doesn't give them an answer, so the three continue their walk, now in silence. Jeremy looks up at Michael, who has his gaze fixed on the ground. He has dark circles under his eyes, and the wrinkles under them suggest he's tired. Jeremy wonders when the last time Michael slept was.

"Guys...should we have maybe headed back by now?" Gavin asks.

A chill goes down Jeremy's spine as he notices the sun beginning to head below the horizon. "Oh crap..." Jeremy gulps. "I wasn't paying attention! Maybe...we could still make it back if we hurry—"

"It's too late now, let's set up camp and head back first thing tomorrow." Michael begins climbing a nearby tree. "We'll be safer the higher we go."

"I thought you didn't want to climb trees." Gavin raises an eyebrow.

Michael stops climbing briefly to glare at Gavin once more. "We have no choice, idiot."

"Whatever you say, boy." Gavin takes out the radio Jack had given him. "Uh, Geoff? Jack?"

_"Gav? Where are you guys?"_ Geoff's voice comes through the radio.

Gavin nervously readjusts his scarf. "So...we lost track of time and—"

"We're setting up camp for the night. We're heading back first thing tomorrow." Jeremy jumps in. "It's the safest thing to do."

There's a pause. 

**_"You did what—"_ **

_"Alright...please be careful."_ Jack's much softer voice interrupts Geoff. 

"We will. We promise." Jeremy tries to stay as calm as possible, despite his hands slightly trembling. 

Gavin turns the radio off, and stuffs it back in his bag. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"We'll be fine, Gav. Plus, I don't think there's much convincing Michael." Jeremy smirks, causing Gavin to laugh in response. "Alright..."

The two of them follow Michael up the tree. Jeremy helps Gavin reach certain branches, as this tree was much taller than the previous one. But Michael's right, the high tree would make it more difficult for monsters to reach them. 

"Oh, so now you don't want to climb trees, Gav?" Michael teases Gavin, who was much further back than him.

"'M trying...just...give me a minute..." Gavin groans, trying to grab a branch that is just out of his reach. "Gah!"

Jeremy leans down, grabbing Gavin's hand, gently pulling him up towards the other branch. "Michael, he's still injured! Give him a break."

Michael stops. "Right..." He continues his fast-pace climb up the tree, leaving Jeremy alone to help Gavin.

They reach the top just as night falls, and just as rain begins to fall down on the lads.

"Hey, Gav. You okay?" Michael nods towards Gavin.

Gavin looks up at Michael, shaking slightly from the climb. "Yeah...I'm sorry about before, you were right..."

Michael nods, looking out into the darkness. "I can't see anything."

"Same...it's too dark. At least we're safe up here." Jeremy squints, trying to see.

"Are we?" Gavin's voice is barely above a whisper.

"We are." Jeremy confirms.

With the moon as their only source of light, Michael barely notices something going by the tree, he can't tell what.

"What was that?!" Jeremy must've seen it too.

"What happened?!" Gavin sits up.

"Something's going by the tree!" Jeremy leans over the edge. Another one goes by. It's an arrow.

"It's those Goddamn monsters..." Michael looks at the ground.

"Are we safe up here?" Gavin looks around nervously. He is gripping one of his arms out of fear. The rain had lightened up almost instantly, now at a heavy drizzle.

"Don't worry, Gav...we'll be fine." Michael shrugs nonchalantly. Gavin sits by him, ringing out his scarf. 

"Are you sure?"

"I promise. Whatever monster's down there is gonna have to go through me to hurt you two." Michael points at the duo. Gavin gives Michael a warm smile. Michael is tired, after a while his eyes start to become heavy, but he refuses to sleep, incase something tries to climb the tree, incase something happens. 

"Guys, we need to get sleep. Okay? We'll keep heading back in the morning." Jeremy orders, sitting down by the two.

"Should we radio Geoff, to make sure they're all okay? I mean...what if something happens?" Gavin reaches for the radio from Jeremy.

"I'm sure they're fine, Gav...but...okay." He hands it over to Gavin. "Try not to get it too wet."

"It survived the lake earlier, a little rain isn't going to kill it." Michael sighs.

Gavin snatches the radio, ignoring both of them. "Geoff? This is Gav! We're just checking in on you guys to make sure you're okay!" Gavin beams. There's a pause of static, as the message goes through. 

_"Aye, you idiots."_ Geoff laughs. Michael gives the faintest smirk. He's impressed how Geoff never changed. Even after everything, he's still the same lovable Geoff. 

_"Yeah, we're good! Jack's with the twins right now, they're fixing up a part of the farm that got dug up by an animal...or...monster or something..."_

"Alright, make sure you guys stay safe!" Gavin says. "Please..." Jeremy puts a hand on Gavin's shoulder.

_"Will do...love you guys."_ The last part is barely audible, but the lads hear it.

"We love you too." Gavin practically hugs the radio, tears threatening to fall. Michael sits next to Gavin, trying his best to comfort him. Gavin turns the radio off, and stuffs it in Jeremy's bag. Michael and Jeremy pull Gavin into a hug, and Gavin is quick to hug back, letting tears fall. They stay like that for a while, feeling safe in each other's company. Sleep eventually overtakes Jeremy and Gavin, 

But Michael isn't sleeping.

He's watching every single arrow as it flies by the tree. Worried one may land. The monsters must see them in the tree, or maybe they don't and that's why none of them have landed. How long until they notice them? Eventually, they stop. But Michael doesn't take any chances, he's not letting his guard down as Michael holds Jeremy and Gavin close to him, staring at the sky, not daring to let go.

* * *

"Rise and shine, lads!" Gavin stands over his friends, who groan and slowly roll over.

"What the hell, Gavin?" Michael mumbles, rubbing his eyes.

"Come on! It's time to head back!" Gavin gestures around him impatiently.

"Alright, alright." Michael sits up. 

Jeremy had already been awake. He moves further out onto the tree branches. "I may be able to find a way home from up here, give me a minute."

Then Michael and Gavin were left alone. The arrows have begun to fly by the tree once more, Gavin steps back slightly as he notices and looks over at Michael, trying to think of what to say as Gavin doesn't know what's going on in Michael's head. Michael refuses to talk about Lindsay, about how he clearly hasn't been sleeping, if the dark circles under his eyes were any indication, but Gavin is determined to help.

"Michael...how are you?" Gavin asks.

"Mm? I'm fine...I guess. Why?" Michael raises an eyebrow.

"I dunno...I just...worry..." Gavin looks down, struggling to find the words. "...about you..."

"Worry? Why?" Michael sounds offended, but his expression is genuine. 

"I mean...ever since..." Gavin trails off, but his eyes never leave Michael's. 

A flash of emotion strikes Michael, but Gavin cannot tell what it is. 

"Oh...I'm fine, Gavin." He shrugs, the emotion now gone from his face. 

Gavin takes a step forward. "Michael. You can talk to me...I—"

"Gavin, I'm fine." Michael turns away from Gavin, looking out into the woods. 

"Michael, I want to help! Please, just talk to me—"

"I said I'm **_fine_**." Michael growls. 

Gavin's mouth snaps shut. He realizes he's prying, not helping. If Michael's gonna talk, he needs to do it on his own. Gavin signs, looking down again. 

"I'm sorry..." 

Only, Gavin never gets to say that, as before the words leave his mouth, he feels a sharp pain go through his chest. 

Something's stabbed him!

Michael turns to him and for once, Gavin can pinpoint the exact emotion on his face.

Fear.

Gavin's vision fades as he plummets off the top of the tree. The last thing he sees is Michael leaning over the edge of the tree, wide-eyed. 

Screaming Gavin's name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, so I hate to do this but with school happening, I will be putting this story on an indefinite hiatus.  
> It WILL be back, but right now school is really doing a number on me, so due to my own mental health I have to take a break from writing for a while. It'll definitely be back, I refuse to leave you guys after this.  
> Thank you for understanding <3


	10. A Single Mistake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! It's back!  
> Sorry for the long hiatus, but I felt like it was best to hold the story for a bit.  
> It is back now, and will resume a normal posting schedule of every Wednesday!  
> Thank you for sticking with me! Love y'all!

Steffie’s long walk through the desert had taken nearly a week. Thankfully, she had enough supplies with her to build a couple makeshift shelters to survive. She had begun hunting a lot of rabbits, slowly getting used to them as her only food source, and the desert has tons of them. Steffie had tied her jacket around her head as a sorry attempt to keep the sun out of her eyes. She had the worst sunburn of her life on her shoulders, but she kept walking. She wasn't letting herself give up this easily. Not now.

At first, she thought she'd only walk at night due to the scorching sun, yet the amount of zombies in the desert at night was astronomical, so she made the tough call of walking in the heat of the day. But it wasn't like the sand was easy to walk on either, she had rolled her ankles multiple times trying to climb over the uneven dunes. Plus, the wind blowing sand in her eyes wasn't much aid to the situation either.

After what feels like forever, she spots some green in the distance. Maybe Steffie was hallucinating. Maybe her brain was finally giving up on her. Steffie sighs, but she keeps walking towards the green. Where else was she supposed to go? Despite this thought, the mirage did not disappear. Steffie realizes she was, in fact, heading towards a forest. Trees were providing enough shade from the blistering heat. If she had the energy to sprint, she would've. But she _does_ nearly collapse as she reaches the cool green grass beneath her. Although, she knew she needed to keep moving if she wanted to find everyone else. But for now, Steffie enjoyed the shade, finally letting her skin cool off. She was relieved to be out of the desert, but she wasn't safe just yet. She knew that. She still had to find the others. She had to find home. A longing feeling washes over her, realizing just how much she truly misses her friends.

She remembers getting up in the morning, in her house, and watching TV before work... God, she misses TV. The thought of television led her thoughts to movies and she remembers movie nights with her friends. Geoff would always try to pick the movie, but no one would ever let him. Jack picked the movie once, but he ended up picking a dumb musical no one had heard off, and was promptly banned from choosing. Steffie smiles at the simple memory. 

Suddenly, she notices a small lake, which pulls her out of her thoughts. She rushes over to the water, drinking as much as she could with one breath. After taking several gulps of water, Steffie lifts her head and notices it got significantly darker, then finally notices the sun heading beneath the horizon. She looks around for somewhere to build another temporary hut, but she quickly realizes there is no room on the floor, coated with trees and bushes and she was too weak to fight any monsters in her condition.

"Oh God..." Steffie mumbles, looking around frantically. She was too far into the forest to make it out to the desert in time. She suddenly looks at a nearby tree that appears climbable. "I guess I'm sleeping in a tree tonight." She sighs.

Steffie leaves most of her stuff at the bottom of the tree, making for an easier climb and begins hoisting herself up, using what little strength she had left for the climb. Steffie practically collapses upon reaching the top, lays down, and gazes at the shining stars in the inky sky, wondering how the others are holding up without her. Maybe they've moved on from their newly made house. Maybe they found other survivors and gave up on her. Maybe they're still looking for her. Steffie hopes they're all okay. Maybe Lindsay's little sap of life finally grew. She hopes Geoff's not pushing himself but wonders how Alfredo's back is doing.

As her mind goes into every possible scenario, the sky pours rain down on her, drenching her. As she rolls her eyes in annoyance, she notices a light out of the corner of his eye. Some light from the top of another, nearby tree. 

"What..." Steffie sits up and squints her eyes, trying to see clearly. Her eyes try to focus, but everything appears blurry. She tries blinking away the blurriness.

Eventually, her vision manages to clear enough. It can't be...Steffie's heart skips a beat upon making out Jeremy, Michael, and Gavin illuminated by the light of a flashlight. 

"Guys? Guys!" Steffie’s cries fall on deaf ears. The lads are too far to hear her scream for them, and Steffie’s far too exhausted to project herself properly. She attempts to stand, briefly forgetting she's in a tree. Her footing slips, and she feels a pressure on her ankle, stopping her from falling any further. 

Steffie yelps as she looks down, noticing her leg is trapped between two branches. She tries lifting her leg, but the branch won't let go. She tugs on the branches as hard as she is able to, but her leg won't budge. She begins panicking, her breathing quickening. She looks at the lads, trying to call out to them one more time, but they don't hear. She looks for something to signal to them, but with the wet bark, he has no way of starting a fire.

She nearly gives up, but Steffie remembers she still has her quiver and arrows, and comes up with a plan.

She doesn't get their attention in the night, but once the sun comes up, she tries again.

The next thing she knows, Gavin is plummeting out of the tree.

Steffie freezes in place. Her heart pounds in her ears, her stomach drops. She’s so overcome with emotion and adrenaline, that she allows herself to rip her leg from the tree's grasp, most likely spraining it, but she doesn't care about that now.

She practically runs down the tree, to where she saw Gavin fall.

* * *

"No way. That...that did not just happen! _Michael! What happened?!_ " Jeremy runs over to Michael as quickly as possible. But Michael is frozen in place, leaning over the edge, shaking ever so slightly, eyes wide. He doesn't respond. Jeremy climbs down the tree, leaving Michael, and freezes when he spots Gavin, laying on the ground. Fresh blood coats his once green scarf. 

"Gav..." Jeremy kneels beside his friend. Gavin's eyes were wide open, staring at nothing. An arrow was deep in his chest. "Gav...come on buddy..."

Jeremy thought for a moment, Gavin may sit up, and laugh at him for being so worried. 

He'd say this was all some big joke. 

But that never happened. 

He lays there still. Jeremy shakes his head. He notices the radio beside Gavin is now in pieces, but he doesn't care about that anymore. He doesn't care about anything but Gavin. Jeremy grabs onto Gavin's arm, it's still warm. He buries his face into Gavin's shoulder, threatening tears that never came. Blood coated his hands, but he didn't care. He just holds onto Gavin. He hears footsteps behind him, and turns around expecting to see Michael, but instead of the terrified lad, it's Steffie, her face white as a ghost, and her eyes wide.

"Steff..." Jeremy stands in disbelief. Tears now well up in his eyes. " _Steffie!_ " He runs at Steffie, and embraces her. His tears finally came, and he sobbed, a mixture of overwhelming emotions overtaking him. 

"Gavin..." Steffie mumbles, seeming to completely forget Jeremy was there. Jeremy pulls away from the hug, and looks at Gavin, then back to Steffie. 

"He...he was shot...I don't know what happened...he just...fell...!" Jeremy began to breathe quicker and heavier.

"I..."

Jeremy's eyes land on the quiver and arrows strapped to Steffie’s back. He looks back up at Steffie. "...Jeremy..." Steffie looks Jeremy in the eyes, her eyes showing what Jeremy can only pinpoint as regret. "I...I'm so sorry...it was an accident..."

The realization hit Jeremy like a truck. Everything began to spin.

"You..." Jeremy looked down at the arrows again. "But...why?! We...we came out here to _find you!_ " More tears began to roll down Jeremy's face as he looked back up at Steffie.

Michael finally makes it to the ground. He was looking past Jeremy and Steffie, straight at Gavin. He seemingly floated past the two, and sat down by Gavin, not making a sound.

"I was just...I was trying to get you guys' attention...you were so far away..." Steffie stumbled for the words. "My leg got stuck...I couldn't get out..."

"Well you did it. You got our _Goddamn_ attention, Steffie." Jeremy snaps. 

Steffie takes a step back. "I'm so sorry...I—" Steffie chokes on the words, unable to say anything more.

"Leave." Jeremy says through gritted teeth. Steffie stands in place for a moment, but only for a moment. 

"Jeremy—"

"I said leave, Steffie! Get the hell out of here. You killed Gavin." Jeremy screams, the words pouring out of his mouth before he can think.

Steffie steps back. She looks at Jeremy, then to Gavin. She looks like she is going to say something, but her jaw shuts tight before she can say anything. She lowers her head, and heads in the opposite direction from them, noticeably limping.

Jeremy sighs, then turns back to Michael. Michel is gripping onto Gavin's bloodied scarf, his knuckles turning white. 

"Michael...come on...we gotta go." Jeremy rests a hand on Michael's.

"I—we can't leave him! Not now! Please, Jeremy..." Michael looks up at Jeremy with bloodshot eyes. 

"We need to get home." 

Michael shakes his head, then turns back to Gavin. "No...no! Gavin! I'm—" Jeremy grabs onto Michael's arm, and drags him from Gavin. Michael's grip keeps on Gavin's scarf, tearing it from his neck. Jeremy stands Michael up. Michael immediately tries to run back to Gavin, but Jeremy grabs onto him. " _We can't leave him!_ " Michael screams. 

"Michael!" Jeremy grabs onto Michael's shoulders, forcing him to look at him. "We have to go! We're going to die if we stay here. I..." Jeremy looks down at Gavin, then back up to Michael. "...I can't lose you too..."

Michael looks at Jeremy, tears streaming down both of their faces. Michael looks back at Gavin, then down to the bloodied scarf in his hands. He slowly nods, and two begin walking. Jeremy's not sure where to go at this point, he had a way planned out to get home, but that's long gone from his mind at this point. 

Michael follows close behind, refusing to let go of the scarf.

* * *

"They said they'd check in, and they haven't. What if they're in trouble?!" Geoff thinks aloud as he stares at the radio intently sitting atop one of the chests. 

"Geoff, I promise you, they're fine. They're probably just busy. They called you last night, they're fine." Jack reassures Geoff, the two sitting on one of the cots. 

"Jack! I have tried to radio them multiple times and there was no answer! Something is wrong." Geoff buries his head in his hands. 

Jack pulls him into a hug. "We...don't know exactly where they are right now, Geoff. It's too dangerous to go out there right now. Besides, Gavin has Michael and Jeremy. They're our toughest guys." Jack smiles. 

Geoff nods. "Maybe you're right..."

"I _am_ right,” Jack smirks, “As per usual." 

"Shut up." Geoff shoves Jack, smirking back at him.

"Guys!" Trevor bursts into the room. "It's Alfredo..." 

Geoff jolts up. "What happened?!"

"I don't know!” He says, “Every single time I try to talk to him now, he's just being so distant—" He cuts himself off. "I just...I'm worried..."

"That's it. Family meeting." Jack clasps his hands tightly together. "You go get Alfredo, Geoff you—" Jack stops, realizing there's no one else to get. "...wait here with me."

"Alright." Trevor nods, and bolts out of the house. 

"What are we going to do, Jack?" Geoff sighs. Jack wraps an arm around Geoff.

"Everything will turn out okay, I promise. They'll be back...Steffie will be back too...we've got this."

Geoff nods, but Jack isn't certain he's convinced him.

* * *

Trevor walks in the direction he had spotted Alfredo heading. It's the middle of the day, and hot, but he’s not heading back without Alfredo.

He spots a flash of golden light, bringing his attention to the river, he's glad he looked over, as he spots Alfredo sitting underneath a tree near the water. Trevor almost calls for him, until he hears Alfredo speaking. Trevor can't make out what he's saying, however, so he decides to creep closer as quietly as he can, careful not to make a sound. 

"Steffie’s been gone for a whole month...we don't even know if she's alive..." Alfredo sighs. Trevor stands back for a moment, listening.

"What if the lads don't make it back?! What then?" Alfredo looks up to the tree. "There's no one left." Trevor hears Alfredo's voice quiver, and that's enough for him to walk over and sit next to Alfredo.

He jumps at Trevor's presence, yet quickly relaxes after a moment. "How long have you been there...?" Trevor looks at Alfredo. 

"We're going to get them back. I'm not letting anything happen to any of you. I promise." 

"But—"

"Nothing is going to happen. Okay?" 

Alfredo pauses for a moment, looking back at Trevor. 

And sighs. "Okay..."

Trevor looks at the large tree Alfredo was sitting under, it is subtly swaying in the wind.

"Let's go back." Trevor stands up, offering a hand to Alfredo. He hesitantly takes it, and begins following Trevor back, taking only a brief second to glance back at the tree, then resuming his walk to the house.

Trevor realizes the tree was Lindsay's tree they had planted. A pain went through his chest at the realization Alfredo had been talking to them.

But neither of them say anything about this.

* * *

Jeremy and Michael had been blindly walking for what felt like hours. Jeremy had no idea where they were going, he couldn't remember where he had come from, where the exit from the woods was, and he's not sure he cares, anger was clouding all sense of reason. Michael was trudging behind Jeremy. He had refused to put down the scarf, still clutching onto the green fabric, now hanging from his neck, as though it were his lifeline.

Jeremy was pulled from his thoughts as he trips on a tree root. " _Shit!_ " Jeremy yelps. Michael doesn't acknowledge him, he just keeps walking. "Michael, wait!" Jeremy jumps to his feet, and runs after him. 

"What's the point, Jeremy?! We're lost! Gavin's dead!" Michael gestures to nothing in particular. "We are never going to find our way out of these damn woods! Stop acting like we will!"

Jeremy stops, unable to think of what to say next. So he doesn't say anything, he simply walks over to a tree, and sits down, burying his head in his hands. 

Footsteps move towards him, and Michael sits himself next to Jeremy. "What...what are we gonna do..." Jeremy breaths. "What are...what are we...gonna do…” Michael doesn't respond, he just simply sighs and slumps himself down. "We have to find the others...we...we're gonna...we have to, right?!" Jeremy looks over to Michael. He is now visibly distraught, but Michael doesn't say anything.

Jeremy gives up trying to talk to him, and lets himself fall asleep, hugging his knees.


	11. Split

As monsters look at them through the trees, Michael doesn't move. They'll attack if he moves. He stares at the eyes through the tree lining, studying the grotesque deformed figures. Red spider eyes, rotten zombie flesh, rattling skeleton bones. Every one of them made his skin crawl.

"Michael?" Jeremy groans awake. 

“Shh...monsters..." Michael nods towards the hoard ahead of them. 

"Oh God..." Jeremy's eyes go wide as he notices their surroundings. 

"I'll distract them. You run." Michael attempts to stand, before Jeremy grips his arm, anchoring him. 

"Absolutely not!" Jeremy whispers. "Michael...I can't...I can't lose you...not you and Gavin both..." 

"I'll be fine, J..." Michael shakes Jeremy's arm away from his own. 

"Gavin would _not_ want you to die." Jeremy sits up. 

Michael freezes in place. "You don't know that..." 

Jeremy stops, glaring at Michael. "I do know that. You are not sacrificing yourself. We are finding another way out of here." 

"Jeremy—"

"None of them are looking, come on. We have to be quiet." Jeremy drags Michael away from the monsters, creeping across the forest floor. Michael grips the green scarf around his neck for some sense of comfort. It still wreaks of blood, but Michael doesn't care. A crunch beneath Jeremy's foot freezes both of them in their tracks. The snapped twig was enough to alert a nearby skeleton, who shoots an arrow at the two. Michael whips out the diamond dagger, swiping the arrow out of the air before it hits Jeremy.

"Run!" Michael calls, turning to land another hit on the skeleton. "Go! Now!"

"Michael, wait—" A zombie clawing at Jeremy cuts him off. He turns to punch it, but spots four more zombies limping towards him. Jeremy punches the first zombie, knocking it to the ground. He stomps on its head, his foot crushing what would've been it's skull. He runs at the other zombies, but as he lands a hit on one of it's jaws, the other one claws his arm.

Jeremy yelps as blood begins pouring from the cut. He uses his good hand to land one more punch to the creature, however another one grabs his other arm, digging it's nails into the cut.

He manages to wrestle his bleeding arm free, spinning around and bolting in the other direction as quickly as possible.

Michael finishes off the skeleton with one swipe to it's frail neck. The zombies begin charging at him. He notices Jeremy running. Michael looks at the rotten corpses approaching him, but he doesn't fight back. He didn't ready his dagger. He just…

Stood there.

But before the zombies could get too close, something in him told him to run, told him to _live_. His adrenaline kicked in, forcing him to retreat, despite his internal protest. He runs further into the forest as quickly as he can. He’d gotten a couple of good scratches from his fight, but that didn't stop him. Nothing would stop him from running until eventually, the sun had risen. Suddenly, his lungs started to burn, and his legs finally gave out beneath him and he collapsed to the forest floor, catching his breath.

The zombies had begun to burn in the heat of the rising sun. He smells the charred scent of their flesh. It's a smell he never got used to, despite having to smell it nearly every morning. Michael finally looks up after what felt like an eternity of laying on the ground. A pit falls in his stomach as he realizes where he is. 

He's back at the tree. Back where Gavin was killed.

Michael almost turns to run again, but his eyes catch on a shining metal in the dirt. Jeremy's radio lays in front of Michael in pieces.

Michael cautiously creeps over to the radio, carefully picking it up. It's broken, but Michael thinks he might be able to fix it. He had watched Jack and Geoff work on the other radio before, giving himself hope.

But he looks over at Gavin, sitting beside him for a moment. "Gavin...I'm so sorry..." Michael breaths. "I'm gonna make this right for you...I promise, boy..." He slowly gets to his feet, walking away from Gavin until the scent of death fades from the air, until he can breathe again. Until he can _think_ again.

Michael sits himself beneath a tree, and begins his attempt to fix the radio. It's not easy with the little tools he has to work with, but he makes use of some of the thin twigs laying beside him, Then uses his dagger to sharpen them, and is able to use them as makeshift screwdrivers and pins. It takes most of the day and a lot of cramped knuckles later, but he finally somehow manages to get it working, for now.

He presses the call button, and awaits for a voice to come through.

* * *

Steffie had been walking for about a day since she last saw Jeremy. She keeps telling herself she deserves to wander in the wasteland for the rest of her days. 

She killed Gavin. She killed him.

Gavin had been the laughter of them all. Whenever any of them were down, Gavin could always find a way to cheer the rest of them up. Steffie had always considered them close friends. Sure, she'd threaten him jokingly, but she'd never actually hurt any of them. She’d never hurt Gavin.

But she _did_ . She _killed_ him.

Steffie sees another mirage just outside of the woods. The last time she had something to drink was when she first entered the forest, she's most likely dehydrated, but she swears she sees their house. Maybe it's her guilt ridden mind. She sees the garden. She feels a pang in her chest. She sees everyone.

She sees Jack. Steffie realizes the mirage is not fading away, but getting _closer_. 

"Jack?!" Steffie calls. Jack looks over towards Steffie, visibly confused.

"Jack! It's me!" Steffie is running now, as quick as her sprained leg will allow her.

"Steffie?!" Jack is running too.

The others are running out of the house. She sees them.

Trevor. Alfredo. Geoff.

“Guys!" Steffie practically jumps into Jack's arms, hugging him as tight as she can. 

"Holy crap...Steffie!" Jack has tears streaming down his face. The others quickly join in the hug. 

"I'm okay...oh God I missed you so much!" Steffie breathes a sigh of relief. 

"Steffie! Thank God!" Geoff buries his head in Steffie’s shoulder. 

"Guys I'm so sorry..." Steffie feels like collapsing. Nothing else mattered to her but her friends. They sit there for a while, hanging onto each other, letting out soft sobs.

Geoff takes a breath after a moment. "Have you seen the lads? They went to look for you about a day ago...they should've been back by now..."

And with that, Steffie is brought back to the grim reality. She needs to tell them the truth, but how are they going to react when she says Gavin's dead...how are they going to react when she says it's _her fault_?

"No..." Steffie lies. 

"I haven't been able to call them...I'm worried!" Geoff grips at his hair pulling the radio out of his pocket. 

"I'm sure they're fine, Geoff. They'll be okay." Jack leans on Geoff. He turns back to Steffie. "Do you need water?" Steffie doesn't answer. She’s looking around at everyone. Counting heads. 

Something's wrong.

"Where...where's Lindsay?" Steffie asks.

Everyone freezes, looking at Steffie, then at each other.

"Lindsay..." Trevor finally speaks up. "They...got attacked by a zombie shortly after you left..." 

Steffie shakes her head. "Are they..."

"They didn't make it..." Geoff sighs.

As she feels a weight come down on her, her mind immediately goes to Michael. She feels her tears returning. The others sit around, looking just as sorrowful as Steffie. 

Alfredo hasn't let go of Steffie, still having his arms wrapped around her, crying into her shoulder. Steffie rests her head on Alfredo's, attempting to comfort him as best as she can.

* * *

Steffie had gotten water, and was sitting inside the house on one of the beds. Jack had wrapped her ankle to help it heal better. "I wish we found you sooner..." Alfredo sighs, sitting on one of the other beds. 

"Me too..." Steffie nods. "God...I really missed you guys..."

"We missed you too..." Alfredo looks at the ground, thinking. "...are you... _sure_ you didn't see the others?" Steffie pauses for a moment, then quickly shakes her head. Alfredo doesn't want to upset Steffie, so he just nods, and hugs his knees. 

"We're...gonna find them. They're tough. Michael and Jeremy can fight." Steffie nods. 

Alfredo looks at Steffie, hopefully. "Yeah...you're right." 

"How are your wounds from the arrow?" Steffie asks. 

Alfredo looks up. "They're fine, still have a bit of a limp but...everything else is fine." 

Steffie forces a tired laugh, "Well, guess we're both limping now." She quips, attempting to brighten the situation a little bit, but to no avail. "I'm gonna go talk to Geoff...see if he needs any help." Steffie stands, and heads out the door. 

"Okay..." Alfredo lays down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling for a while. 

They found Steffie, but even still they're missing the others. Alfredo misses everyone. He misses his family. He just wants them all to be together again. 

But before he gets to down, a crackling noise makes him jump. He sits up and notices Geoff left the radio in the house. " _...Geoff...?_ " A quiet voice calls through the static. 

Alfredo rushes over, picking up the radio. "Hello?!"

" _Fredo? Fredo! It's me, Michael!_ " The voice breaths. 

"Michael!" Alfredo nearly starts crying again. "Are you guys okay?! Where are you? Do you need us to come get you? Do you—"

" _Alfredo...listen to me...Gav..._ " Alfredo hears Michael take a deep breath. " _...Gavin's dead..._ " 

Alfredo stops. _Everything_ stops. Alfredo shakes his head. The world around him spins rapidly. He lets out a soft laugh, assuming Michael's joking. "No, he's not...he..."

" _Steffie...Steffie shot him out of a tree...I watched it happen..._ " Michael's voice breaks. 

"But...Steffie’s..." The radio goes back to static. "Michael?!" 

"Alfredo?" A voice behind him makes him yelp, throwing the radio down in fear. It shatters. Alfredo turns to Steffie, sweat begins dripping down his face, tears form in his eyes. He is desperately trying to steady his breathing. "Woah...are you okay?" Steffie reaches a hand towards him.

"Did you kill Gavin?!" Alfredo screams, hugging himself. Steffie pauses, looking at Alfredo with a blank expression. They stay in silence for a moment, before Steffie looks confused, sending a chill down Alfredo's spine. 

"What?! Why would I..." Steffie shakes her head in disbelief. 

Alfredo clenches his jaw shut. "Michael just called on the radio." 

Steffie steps back, eyes wide. She glances down at where the radio lays in shambles. "No...no I—" Steffie begins. Alfredo blinks away tears, and shoves past Steffie. "Alfredo _wait—_ " Steffie runs after him. "Let me explain!"

"Guys!" Alfredo runs outside, screaming. 

"Woah, woah...Fredo! Are you okay?" Geoff and the others rush over to him. 

"Steffie! She killed Gavin! Michael told me! She _shot_ him!" Alfredo looks rapidly between Geoff, Jack, and Trevor. 

"Wait...slow down. Steffie killed..." Trevor places a firm hand on Alfredo's shoulder. 

"Gavin...Michael just radioed me..." Alfredo confirms, trying to steady his breathing. 

"Alfredo, that radio's been dead...I've been trying to get through to them for a while..." Geoff looks at Alfredo with tired eyes. 

"Can you call him back and we can talk to him?" Jack asks. 

"I...the radio...Steffie scared me...I...I threw it...it broke..." Alfredo gulps. "Please believe me, guys!"

"Steffie...what's going on?" Jack looks at Steffie, who has gone pale. 

"I...I didn't kill anyone. I don't know what Alfredo's talking about..." Steffie shakes her head. 

"Steffie! Shut up you know exactly what you did!" Alfredo stands up, and attempts to walk towards Steffie, but Geoff holds him back. 

"Alfredo, we're all stressed, but we can't turn on each other. Why don't you get some water?" Jack states, calmly. 

"B-but..." Alfredo looks at Trevor for help.

Trevor looks over at him, concerned, but for all the wrong reasons.

Alfredo tries to breath normally, he looks at everyone for some sign of understanding, or belief. 

Alfredo eventually sighs in defeat.

* * *

The sun had risen, Steffie had spent the night in the house for the first time in months, but she couldn't sleep. Alfredo had stayed up all night, watching her. Steffie was sitting in the house once again, both emotionally and physically exhausted. Alfredo was still there, glaring at her from across the room, sitting on a bed with his back pressed against the wall. Steffie hasn't said anything. Maybe she shouldn't. Alfredo looked tired, and angry, and horrified. Steffie felt that all too familiar feeling of guilt welling up in her chest. "Alfredo..." Steffie sits up. "I didn't mean to...I swear...but I can't...I can't let the others know..."

Alfredo didn't say anything. His expression was full of hate. It made Steffie’s heart hurt. "I'm...sorry...it was an accident...I know I can't take what I did back...but, let me explain—"

"Steffie. Stop." Alfredo's voice was barely audible, but loud enough for Steffie to hear. Steffie paused for a moment, thinking. She could fix this.

She stood up. "I'm going to go find them. I promise, I...I'm going to fix this." Alfredo doesn't say anything, his bloodshot eyes follow Steffie as she moves throughout the room. Steffie turns to leave, but as she reaches the door, she turns back to Alfredo. "I'm so sorry..." She quickly turns and heads out the door, not wanting to stay under Alfredo's disappointed glare any longer.

* * *

"Michael?!" Jeremy calls. He had been walking in circles trying to find Michael for hours. The sun was high in the sky, burning his skin, but he didn't care. He had to find Michael. Jeremy was sure he was going insane, searching for so long, but he _wasn't_ giving up on his friend. 

"Michael!" He called again. 

"Jeremy!" A voice behind him makes its way through the trees.

Jeremy spins around, hopeful. "Michael—"

The figure moves out from the trees, revealing Steffie,

and Jeremy's heart sinks.

"Jeremy, where's Micheal?" Steffie asks, out of breath. 

"Gone...I don't know where he is. Unless you have an idea." Jeremy spat. Steffie stood there for a moment, seemingly contemplating her next words carefully. 

"Jeremy...please...I _never_ wanted to hurt Gavin...I was just..." Steffie trails off, looking down. Jeremy glares at Steffie for a moment, but then his expression softens. 

Not necessarily in an understanding way, but more so due to how utterly exhausted he is.

"Did you see Michael?" Jeremy asks, more calmly. 

Steffie shakes her head, still refusing to meet Jeremy's gaze. "I didn't, I promise..."

"Alright...last I saw him was around a swampy area...there were monsters attacking us and we got separated." Jeremy explains.

Steffie nods. "I found the house...I can keep looking for Michael, if you want to head to the others..." 

Jeremy shakes his head. "Hell no. I'm sorry Steffie, but I'm not leaving Michael out here with—" He stops himself as Steffie takes a step back. "...I'm not leaving him..." 

Steffie nods, looking back to the forest floor. "Jeremy...at least come back to the house with me to get stuff to look for him. Okay?"

Jeremy pauses for a moment. He contemplates trusting Steffie, despite his gut telling him not to. It's been a full day since he saw Michael. The amount of monsters living in the darkness of the forest. Jeremy forces himself to accept the grim reality of the situation, despite something telling him to keep looking. He knows there's no point. He's given up. "He's dead by now, Steffie..." Jeremy says, no trace of emotion in his voice. "Where's the house?"

"I...Uh...this way..." Steffie points, and begins heading in a direction.

Jeremy shouldn't trust her, but something in him doesn't care where he ends up at this point. If Steffie murders him, what the hell does it matter. As of now, Jeremy doesn't care if he lives or dies. If she leads him to the others, then maybe, just _maybe_ , he can get some bit of his life back together.

Turns out, Steffie was telling the truth. However, the sight that they find there is one they were not hoping for.


	12. Act On Impulse

Alfredo filled a small backpack with supplies, if the others wouldn't believe him, then he needs to find somebody who would. Jeremy and Michael were still out there, and if the others didn't believe him, they'd _surely_ believe Jeremy and Michael. He just needs to find them before Steffie does. Alfredo's naive optimism was the only thing guiding him at this point. 

"Alfredo? What are you doing?" Trevor's voice behind him made Alfredo jump. "Oh...uh...cleaning..." Alfredo lies. "I was gonna take a walk and dump this stuff off somewhere...Jack said it was getting cluttered anyways." 

Trevor looks like he's thinking about this response for a moment and Alfredo gulps. Then, Trevor nods. "Alright...do you need me to come with you?" 

Alfredo, trying to keep a “normal” face replies, "Nah, I got this. I can handle a little trip," as forces a smile. 

"Okay...hey look, I'm really sorry...about before..." Alfredo tilts his head slightly to the right, feeling hopeful. Did Trevor believe him? "I just...we all need to stick together now...the lads are going to be okay...I promise." Trevor walks over to Alfredo.

"Oh...yeah...it's fine, me and Steffie talked it over..." Alfredo lies once more. "Don't worry about me. I'm chill." 

Trevor pauses yet again, looking at Alfredo. Seeming to study every slight facial expression. "Be careful." 

Alfredo gives a genuine smile this time. "I will. I promise." Trevor smiles back, nodding. 

Alfredo leaves the house, clutching the backpack straps tightly as he headed out of the house in the direction Steffie had gone. Hopefully he'd find the two lads first, but Alfredo needed to hurry. The sun was dangerously close to setting.

* * *

Trevor watches Alfredo go, limping ever so slightly. He sighs, feeling bad for not believing him, but Geoff's right. They're all stressed, and Alfredo's just worried. There's nothing he can do about that. Hopefully when Steffie finds the others, Alfredo will feel better. Everything can go back to some form of normal. At least they'd all be together. But something tells him it isn't that easy. He tries to silence the voice, but it nags at him. He steps outside of the house, and sees Geoff digging in the field.

"Hey, Geoff." Trevor sits next to him.

"Hey..."

"What are you doing?"

"Honestly? Distracting myself." Geoff continues ripping up the earth. 

"I'm worried about Alfredo..." Trevor sighs. 

Geoff stops digging. "He'll be fine, we're all getting a little stir crazy." He looks up at Trevor, 

"Yeah...I guess you're right. But...what if...what if he's telling the truth?" Trevor thinks.

"Why would—"

"I mean…” Trevor slowly begins to come to a realization. He contemplates his nexts words carefully. "Why...why would he purposely break the radio, our only communication to the others?! And even if he did break it on accident—"

"Trevor, Gavin is not dead." 

"But, it doesn't—"

"He. Is _not_. Dead." Geoff does not break eye contact with Trevor. Trevor sits for a moment. Geoff goes back to digging. But it doesn't make sense...Alfredo wouldn't break the radio on purpose. Even if he did, he wouldn't try to turn everyone on Steffie. Trevor knows he wouldn't. Steffie went to go find the lads, or maybe she went to finish the job. But why would Steffie kill Gavin?! 

A chill ran down Trevor's spine. "Something's wrong, Geoff..." It was Geoff's turn to sit in silence. He slowly went back to digging, seemingly ignoring Trevor's comment. "I'm...I'm gonna talk to Fredo when he gets back..." Trevor stands up. "We'll figure this all out." He had been talking to Geoff longer than he thought, as he realizes Alfredo was out of sight.

And that worried him.

* * *

Alfredo had been walking for what felt like hours. He had gone through most of the food by now, but he wasn't giving up. He had to find Michael and Jeremy. He had to find them before Steffie. "Michael?! Jeremy?!" Alfredo calls. "Are you guys there?" Alfredo hears a yelp not too far away from him. His attention snaps in the direction the voice had come from. "Hello?!" The voice screamed again. Alfredo ran over to the source, tripping a little bit due to his leg, but regaining himself.

"Jeremy, I—" Alfredo stops as he rounds an enormous tree, spotting a figure laying on the ground. It looked human, but it also had the rotten stench of zombie flesh. Alfredo can't move, his legs feel as though they turn to stone. The creature turns around, looking at Alfredo. Tears were streaming down it's face. Alfredo can't speak, he's frozen in place. The figure clutches it's head and begins screaming, pulling out bloodied clumps of it's own hair in it's hands. The screams quickly turned to growls. It's eyes glowed purple, and it's skin blackened, resembling charcoal. It grew claws, it's cries became more distorted. It's mangled groans are enough to bring Alfredo back, his mind screaming at him to run. So he does just that; he runs as fast as he can out of there. The creature gets up and charges in the opposite direction of Alfredo. 

What the hell was that?! He needs to warn the others about that thing. The sun had nearly set at this point. He is instantly thrown back into his own reality and returns to his mission. His heart pounds in his ears and his breathing is heavy as he hears hissing nearby.

 _This was a terrible idea._ Alfredo thinks as he notices some more monsters spotting him within the trees, with their hungry eyes practically glowing as he bolts out of the forest. He can't do this, he realizes. He needs to get back to the others, what was he thinking?! 

One of the spiders jumps at him, momentarily disorienting him and his vision briefly goes blurry. Alfredo curses under his breath and begins to run, but straining his leg causes his limp to become worse, slowing him down. A zombie jumps in front of him, swiping a hand towards him, but barely manages to scrape his arm. Alfredo clutches his arm in his other hand, but he keeps running. He had to keep running. So he did, despite his aching leg and his burning lungs.

Suddenly, a mutant, zombified pig leaps in front of him, and the smell of it's rotten flesh makes Alfredo's eyes water. He catches a glimpse of it's pure black eyes, before it's scream throws the air around him, sending him falling towards the earth with a force.

Alfredo hears a snap as his arm is bent unnaturally. He screams in pain, his ears ring horribly, he feels himself choking on unreachable air as tears fall down his face as his vision fades, his chest is aching with lack of air. With the last thing he sees being Jack, hurriedly running towards him. 

His vision goes black and his body goes numb. 

Then nothing.

* * *

"You mean to tell me you just let Alfredo go out on his own?!" Jack paces the room. 

"Jack I swear I didn't know he'd be gone this long!" Trevor defends himself. 

"No!" Jack snaps, but his face quickly softens. "No...it's not your fault...I'm gonna go look for him, okay?" Jack nods, and heads out into the dark.

Now was _not_ the time to blame others, now it was more important than ever for them all to stick together. Jack's mind wanders, fear for Alfredo clouding most of his thoughts. Geoff was right, they all need to stay close where they can all see each other. 

The sound of a loud explosion brings him back, and he sees a crater formed in the earth not too far from him, but that wasn't the only thing that stopped him dead in his tracks.

It was the thick scent of blood that made his heart threaten to break through his ribcage. He runs to the crater as fast as his legs can carry him, and spots Alfredo on the floor, blood coating him. "Oh my God..." Jack puts a hand over his mouth. Jack rushes to his friend's side, and desperately feels for a pulse. Nothing. "No...no, no, _no, no, no!_ " Jack screams.

A noise off in the distance stops him, and his gaze snaps up to a tall black creature standing in front of him, eyes glowing purple. Jack freezes. The creature stares for a moment, then glances down to Alfredo. Then Jack. 

And just as quickly as it showed up, it disappears. A chill goes down Jack's spine, but it doesn’t stop him from picking up Alfredo in some sort of desperate attempt to save him. Jack sprints to the house, setting Alfredo down on one of the beds. 

Trevor's face quickly went from confusion to disbelief, to horror all in a single moment. " _What happened?!_ " Jack was rummaging through the medical supplies now, trying desperately to find something, anything, that would help their friend. "Jack! _Jack!_ What happened?!" Trevor stands up. 

Jack can't comprehend, his head is spinning. Before he can say anything, before they can even comprehend the situation, they hear a fearful scream from outside that makes both their blood run cold.

* * *

Geoff had been working the farm to help Jack. He needed something to take his mind off of the lads, and what Trevor had said. Steffie had left once again to go and find the trio, but Geoff doubted she'd find them. He was finally beginning to lose hope, and that scared him. He had always tried to protect his friends, but now he can't manage to convince _himself_ everything would be okay. Trevor's comment had scared him, angered him. There's _no way_ that Steffie could ever even _fathom_ killing them, but then again he couldn't see Alfredo lying for attention, or even out of fear. 

It just wasn't like him. 

But something was wrong, but at the same time, Geoff didn't want to think about it. Yet here he was, wrestling with his gruesome thoughts. Alfredo had also wandered off to God knows where, so there was no asking him. Jack was out looking for him. Or was he back? Geoff didn't know. He hadn't been paying attention. He just felt...numb. 

He was about to head into the house to see, when a swift swipe at his leg stopped him in his tracks. Geoff notices a small zombie, no taller than his waist, clawing at him. Geoff yelps in surprise. "What the hell..." He kicks it in the chest, sending it to the ground. The zombie jumps back up instantly, and lunges at Geoff, directly for his throat. He can't react fast enough, as he feels hot blood flowing down his chest. He screams in pain, ripping the zombie off of him, throwing it to the dirt. His vision begins getting blurry, as the zombie turns back around. Geoff can't breath. His blood is flooding his airway. A sword cuts the zombie's head off, and Geoff spots Jack next to it. His knees finally give out and Geoff is sent crashing to the ground with a thud. Yet, he doesn't feel the pain of his body hitting the ground, and he doesn't feel the tightness of his chest. It's as though he fell into a void. All he sees is black.

* * *

"Geoff?! Geoff!" Jack cries, shaking Geoff's lifeless body. 

"Geoff! Come on! This isn't funny!" Trevor has tears streaming down his face. 

"Oh God..." Jack covers his mouth with a bloodied hand. He finally gives up, allowing himself to sob. "Oh God..." He chokes out as he feels Trevor's hand on his back, pulling him into a hug. Jack quickly hugs back, sobbing into Trevor's shoulder. 

The two sit there for a while crying, reality hitting them so suddenly. Both wanting to say something to comfort the other, but are unable to bring themselves to do it.

Jack cries until his throat hurts and he's out of energy. His chest is tight, and his head is spinning. Trevor had eventually cried himself to sleep, so Jack slowly lays him down on the ground. He lays between him and Geoff, staring up at the sky, tear marks still fresh on his red face, falling into his tangled beard.

He turned his back from Geoff, from Alfredo. 

From Lindsay. 

From the lads. 

From _Steffie_. 

His heart beats loudly in his ears, his breathing becoming more heavy. It had all happened so fast, forcing him to come to grips with how real their situation truly was. But eventually, pure exhaustion overtakes him and he falls asleep under the night sky.

* * *

_Eyes stared down at Jack. He tries to move but he can't. He's frozen in fear. The eyes are staring at him. Thousands of the tall creatures stare at him, their eyes glowing a blinding purple. As something flies over Jack in a swift motion, he is suddenly deafened by its screeching noises. His mind is clouded as he hears some muffled yelling, "Jack! Help, I don't know where to go!"_

* * *

When Jack awoke, the hot sun was beating down on his face. For a moment, he had forgotten why they were out there. 

But the smell of death in the air told him otherwise. 

He didn't look at Geoff;he didn't want to. He just got to his feet, and headed to the garden. Trevor wasn't there, Jack guesses he must've gone into the house as he suddenly feels all of the building guilt welling up and rising inside him.

He had always tried to look out for Geoff, but he couldn't save him. Jack hadn't been there for Geoff or for Alfredo or Lindsay. He wasn't quick enough to save any of them. Jack can't distract himself from the grim truth now. It's all hitting him so fast. He feels like he can't breath. His world is falling far from his control, and he can't do anything to stop it. Jack can't bring himself to care about working anymore. What's the point? 

_Their_ blood is on _his_ hands.

A loud hissing took Jack back to reality. But he had seen it coming. 

He didn't run.

A loud, heated explosion sends him hurtling towards the cold ground. He hears a loud snap, and the ringing in his ears slowly fades.


	13. Eye for an Eye

Steffie and Jeremy had been walking in silence for nearly an hour now, and Jeremy wasn't planning on starting a conversation anytime soon.

But Steffie was.

“Jeremy—"

"No."

"Just—"

" _No._ "

They continued in the awkward, tension-filled silence. It was agony, but Jeremy didn't trust himself to break it. Jeremy _wanted_ to talk to Steffie, but how could he now? They had been best friends. He felt so confused, betrayed, upset. He felt _scared_. She didn’t say anything more, the two just walked side-by-side, heading to the house at a terribly slow pace, but Steffie was still limping, and Jeremy needed her to get him back. He sighs, almost relieved when they finally spot the house. Jeremy heard Steffie let out a sigh as well.

A sudden feeling of dread washed over Jeremy, causing him to feel instantly panicked.

"Wait...something's wrong..." Jeremy stops dead in his tracks, looking around at what could've been causing this. 

"Are you okay?" Steffie tilts her head, but she stops as well. "What's wrong?"

"I...I don't know..." Jeremy's breath quickens, his eyes lock on the house, and he convinces himself to dash forward, Steffie following close behind. "Something just...feels wrong..." He’s not sure what caused this gut feeling, but he just knows something is wrong. He's not sure if Steffie feels it too, but despite this, they are both running towards the house.

When they make it over the grassy hill, the heavy stench is the first thing Jeremy notices. It causes his eyes to water. The thick scent of blood and rot filled the thin air. "Oh God..." Jeremy covered his mouth with a hand, nearly gagging at the sight, not able to look away.

Geoff is lying dead on the ground, blood still slowly seeping from a deep gash in his neck, his eyes were glassed over, staring up to the dim sky. Jeremy glances over and notices a similar sight not too far away. Jack's now mangled body was laying in a shallow crater in the ground, a fearful expression permanently etched onto his face.

Jeremy's heart pounded against his ribcage, causing a loud drumming sound in his ears. He stumbled around the garden, his guts feeling twisted and in knots, making him feel like he was going to vomit. Jeremy almost has a sense of relief as he hears someone step out of the house, but that was quickly gone when Trevor gasps in horror and collapses to the ground.

"Jack!" He clutches his head in his hands. "Oh my _God—_ "

"Trev! Hey..." Jeremy runs over to his friend, putting a hand on his arm to steady him. He attempts to speak as calmly as he is able to manage. 

"Jeremy..." Trevor's wide, bloodshot eyes meet his. 

"Yeah...yeah, it's me..." Jeremy nods. "It's me..." He pulls Trevor into a hug, holding him close. 

"I thought you guys were..." Trevor looks up at Steffie. "Where's...where's Michael and Gavin?"

Jeremy's heart ached for a moment. 

"Trevor...Gav's dead…” Trevor's eyes went wide once more, tears flooding them quickly. 

"But...then..." Trevor looks back to Steffie.

"He's...you said..." Jeremy turns to look at Steffie, who also had tears threatening her eyes. 

"Steffie killed him." Jeremy deadpans, still glaring at Steffie, who's gaze quickly reaches the ground, refusing to look up at either of them.

Jeremy turns back to Trevor, who has a horrified look on his face, shaking ever so slightly. "Alfredo was telling the truth..." He mumbles, then quickly breaks down sobbing. "Oh God..."

"Fredo knew...?" Jeremy tilts his head. "Where's Fredo?! How'd he know?!"

"He...he's dead..." Trevor's breath quickens. "Steffie...how could you?" The last words were barely above a whisper as Trevor quickly began sobbing. 

"Michael called him on the radio." Steffie explains, her voice wavering ever so slightly.

 _Michael called? He had to still be out there!_ Jeremy felt his hopes rising.

"We have to find Michael." Jeremy stands, but Steffie quickly stops him. 

"Jer...that was days ago...he’s alone out there...there's no way he's still..." Steffie takes a shaky breath. 

Jeremy felt a chill crawl up his spine. Something in him snaps. His anger and rage now overtakes any and all sensibility. _How could Steffie say Michael was dead?! Maybe_ she _killed him too. She's dangerous, she's a_ murderer _, she's gonna kill Trevor too._

Jeremy shoves Steffie to the ground. He rips the bow and quivers off Steffie’s back and instantly aims an arrow at her. Steffie freezes in place, hands thrown up in defense. Her voice shakes. "Jeremy...wait—"

"You killed Gavin!" Jeremy didn't want to hear a word Steffie had to say. "You killed him!"

"I...Jeremy I didn't—" Tears flowed down Steffie’s face. "It was an accident...please!"

Jeremy shoots an arrow. Steffie quickly rolls to the side, dodging it. She leaps to her feet and begins running away, her limp getting increasingly worse. 

"Get back here!" Jeremy screams through tears of his own. 

"Jeremy! Wait!" Trevor takes off after the two. "Stop!"

Trevor runs after the other man, as Steffie climbs the small cliffside by the house. Jeremy chases her to the cliff, far off the ground. Steffie’s foot nearly slips off the edge as she backs up as far as she can go and turns back as Jeremy walks up to her, breathing heavily. The hatred in his eyes scared Steffie beyond belief. "Jeremy, please! _Please!_ It was an accident...you know how many times I wished it was me falling out of that tree, not Gavin?" 

" _You._ You did this. You _caused_ this. They'd all still be alive if it wasn't for _you_ ." Jeremy screams. A voice screams in his ears. _Stop!_

He lets out a sigh. He begins sobbing, he's not sure why. He feels overwhelmed. "...how could you?" Steffie opens her mouth to say something but before she can say anything, 

Jeremy lets go of the bow, sending the arrow into her chest.

She gasps, looking down at the now bloody arrow. Her tearful, pleading eyes met Jeremy's one last time. She doesn't look angry, or upset. She slowly tumbles backwards, falling over the edge. Jeremy watches her fall, almost _satisfied_ when he hears her hit the ground.

* * *

Trevor runs up the cliffside just in time to see Steffie fall. He'd run, but the sickening thud of Steffie hitting the ground froze him in fear. Jeremy stands tall, almost seeming proud of what he's done. 

"Jeremy...what...what did you do?!" Trevor shouts. 

"I killed her...I killed her the same way she killed Gavin." Jeremy clenches his jaw. Trevor doesn't say anything. He stumbles to the edge, looking over. The two of them sat up there for a moment.

"...it wasn't Steffie's fault Alfredo died...it was mine..." Trevor is no longer sobbing, even though tears continued to flow. Jeremy looks at Trevor, his face blank. "He tried to tell us about Steffie, but we didn't believe him... _I_ didn't believe him. So he left to find you, then got killed...then we were distracted, we didn't notice Geoff...I didn't see Jack...it's all _my_ fault..." Trevor looks out at the land around them all. "It's my fault..." Jeremy looks too. They both sat there, taking in the view, already collectively knowing what was about to happen.

But the cool breeze almost made everything feel _normal_. Trevor closed his eyes for a moment, imagining everything was well again. 

He imagines Alfredo making stupid jokes and trying to piss off Jack and Geoff. He remembers his friends. He remembers Gavin, and Lindsay, and Michael, and Matt.

And Steffie.

He opens his eyes again, looking at Jeremy, who looks back at him.

Trevor smiles at him, then slowly rolls himself off of the cliff.

He doesn't scream, or flinch. He just lets himself fall to the ground as he sees Jeremy above him, watching him as he falls.

* * *

Jeremy didn't scream, nor was he shocked, or scared. He didn't feel anything. He simply watches Trevor fall. Once he hits the ground, he looks out into the distance at the horizon. He can see the desert. He hopes Michael's death hadn't been painful. Maybe he drowned. Jeremy allowed himself to believe he drowned, it seems gentler than the more possible monster attack. 

Jeremy wishes he could have apologized to Michael, for dragging him and Gavin into the woods in the first place. He wished he could take it all back. 

But Trevor was right, this was all their fault. They _each_ had a part to play. Jeremy thinks of Michael trying to be the voice of reason for all of them, and Gavin telling him to lighten up. He thinks of how Lindsay would always bring them back down to Earth. Jeremy thinks of Geoff trying desperately to keep everyone safe and being there for them no matter how much they all pissed him off. He thinks of Jack trying to keep everything normal, Alfredo laughing at every little thing, and Trevor trying to be positive in any situation. He remembers their friend who hadn't made it past the explosion, Matt, and how he'd always make them smile. He thinks of Steffie and how sorry he is. He let Steffie go to the caves. 

He _killed_ Steffie. 

Even if Steffie had killed Gavin, does that make Jeremy any better? Jeremy covers his mouth with a hand, finding his last few tears creeping from his eyes. He looks back up.

Jeremy swears he sees Michael running in the distance and he’s happy to find himself smiling.

But for the last time, and as the realization comes,

He lets himself fall off the cliff.


	14. Ghosts Walk Among Us

Michael jolted awake due to his alarm blaring annoyingly from his phone, his heart now pounding in his chest. “What the hell..." Michael mumbles as he couldn't tell if the nightmare woke him up, or his alarm. Either way, he had barely been able to sleep the previous night. The news had been scaring him. 

There had been a mysterious portal found within a cliff close by that was exerting weird power sources, so Michael fought with his subconscious for a while until he eventually passed out. The horrific thoughts must've made him have a nightmare. Everyone had died right before his eyes. Michael breaths, telling himself his friends are okay, that they're alive, there's no apocalypse. He groggily turned his alarm off, looking at the time. "Shit..." He leaps out of bed, gets dressed and leaves the house without having breakfast.

He'll find something to eat at work. 

He screamed at the traffic. The cars seem to go slower than humanly possible. 

_"Scientists are now seeing a light purple glow from within the cave, and are unsure of what is causing the source."_ A voice on the radio explains. _"A team has been sent in, and they have yet to return."_ Michael angrily turns off the radio, turning his attention back to the cars at a standstill. 

"Why do cars only go slow when I'm in a rush..." Michael rubs his temple in annoyance.

Finally, he arrives at work, only ten minutes late. Not as bad as he thought. He walks into work, and Lindsay is already making their way into the office as he gets there, holding a small box of donuts. "Hey, Lindsay! You brought breakfast?" Michael calls, running to catch up with them. 

"Yeah, I figured why not? It's Friday." They smile. 

"Thank God, I didn't have time to get breakfast this morning." Michael goes to grab a donut, but Lindsay smacks his hand before he can get one. 

"Hang on, let's get in the office first." Lindsay laughs. "It's the closest thing to politeness all of you assholes will experience." 

Michael rolls his eyes, "Alright, fine." but his smile doesn’t leave his face. The two walk through the door, down the hall towards the office. 

"So I was late, because I stopped for food. What's your excuse?" Lindsay raises an eyebrow. 

"Nightmares..." Michael admits. "I think it's this portal shit that's been messing with my head." 

Lindsay laughs, "Same. My mind immediately goes to the worst possible scenario.” They grin, “But hey, I'm sure everything is gonna be just fine." 

Michael raises his eyebrow, "Ya think?" He questions. 

"If I could see into the future, Michael, I'd tell you everything would work out." 

He shrugs. "Fair enough."

The duo make their way into the office, everyone else is already at their computers. "Guess who got breakfast, bitches?!" Michael points to himself while shouting, causing everyone's heads to turn. 

"I assume Lindsay." Gavin smirks. 

"...yeah..." Michael groans. 

"I got donuts!" Lindsay opens the box, and Michael immediately snatches a glazed. 

"Yes! Breakfast!" Alfredo bounces over, taking a donut as Trevor rushes close behind him. 

"Thanks, Lindsay!" Trevor takes a donut, seating himself in a nearby chair. 

"Hell yeah!" Geoff practically runs to them. "Thanks, Linds!" 

They beam, "No problem. I was stuck in traffic anyways." 

Two voices are heard as a loud yell of "Donuts!" are able to be tracked to Jeremy and Matt yelling simultaneously. They rush over and attempt to steal as many donuts as they can, but before they can get too many, Lindsay closes the box in their faces. 

"Save some for everyone, you pigs." Lindsay hides the box behind their back. 

"Come on, Lindsay." Matt frowns. 

"No!" Lindsay glares. They move the box in front of them, gesturing to put the other donuts back. 

"Fine." Jeremy rolls his eyes, putting the extras in the box. He proceeds to glare at Matt, who sighs and reluctantly puts his extras back. 

Michael laughs as Jack walks over, waiting patiently for everyone to get one before he takes one. 

"Thanks, Lindsay." Steffie smiles, taking a bite of her donut. 

"You're welcome! Everyone got one right?" Lindsay looks around, checking to see. "Alright. Matt, now you can steal more." 

"Yes!" Matt grabs more donuts as Michael walks over to Lindsay. 

"Thank God Lindsay got donuts. I wasn't able to get breakfast this morning." Gavin laughs. 

"Same, I overslept.” Michael admits as Gavin’s laughter dies down. 

Which gets Trevor scratching his head, "Same. It's weird, I guess I've been a little stressed lately." He explains as he shakes his head. 

"Me too. I dunno what's up." Alfredo heads over as well. "Maybe it's all this stuff about that portal to hell?" 

Jeremy sighs, "Oh yeah, totally. I had a weird dream last night." 

Steffie nods, "Me too.”

"Same here." Michael laughs nervously. 

"It was definitely about the news. I dreamt the world was in a weird apocalypse thing and we all were like, dying." Alfredo speaks up. 

"...were there like, zombies and stuff?" Trevor asks. 

"...yyeah, how'd you know?" Alfredo asks. 

Everyone looks at each other, eyes wide. 

"And all of us died..." Michael speaks up. Alfredo looks at everyone, realization hits his expression. 

"I… had that same dream." Lindsay nods. 

"So did I..." Jack mumbles. 

Everyone looks around the room, everyone looks horrified. They all slowly nod, confirming to each other what they feared.

Matt looks up from his plate of donuts. 

"The hell are you talking about?"

They are about to explain everything, when they hear a loud bang off in the distance. They all look up, out the window is a blinding purple light. 

"What is that?!" Alfredo shouts, hiding himself behind Trevor. 

Michael begins to yell at everyone to get down, however the rumble gets too loud and drowns his voice out. Everyone covers their ears, and Michael feels him and Gavin get shoved to the ground as Geoff tackles both of them. Everyone follows and collapses. The light blinds Michael, sending him flying. A purple fog fills the room, followed by a bright light and a loud **crash** that seems to go on forever and Michael feels a pain go through his body as he's thrown to a wall. He sees blinding, purple eyes, glaring at him, followed by a loud roar.

Then everything goes black.

* * *

Michael shudders awake at the memory, the explosion still echoing in his mind. He wishes everything would reset like it seemed to have before, but it didn't. That everything had been a twisted anxiety-induced nightmare, but it wasn’t.

This was real.

He had managed to fall asleep in a small hole underneath a tree, protecting him from any threat. Something in him kept him alive. He's not sure what. He still kept Gavin's scarf wrapped around his neck, and his diamond dagger clutched in his hand. He was able to find shelter, not having to worry about anyone but himself. It was almost freeing. It was nice in a twisted kind of way.

However, there was still a part of him pulling his thoughts back to his friends. As much as he tried to forget them, once he was laying down and found it quiet, he couldn't help but think of them. So when he found the house, after months of searching, he was relieved to say the least. As he approaches, he spots Steffie and Jeremy arguing. They're both yelling, with Trevor close behind them. Michael is used to their arguments. 

They seemed angry. The argument swiftly ends with them both laughing, as most of their arguments do and Trevor rolls his eyes in annoyance. Jack and Geoff are by the garden. The two of them are collecting food for the others. Alfredo was running up to Trevor with Gavin running close behind. They tackled the other into a hug, them all ending up cackling on the floor.

Michael walked through the memories, almost in slow motion. 

Lindsay walks out of the house, freezing Michael in place. They spot him and quickly heads to him. "Hey, Michael." They softly smile. 

"Lindsay..." Michael's heart sinks. "I...I'm so sorry...I should've been there..." 

Lindsay smiles, comforting Michael. "It's not your fault, Michael. None of this was anyone's fault. Remember survival of the fittest?" 

Michael laughs for the first time in a long time. He laughs until the tears return to his eyes, and his chest aches. Lindsay quickly pulls him into a hug. "I'm not gonna leave you guys again. I promise." Michael cries.

Everyone slowly fades from view, leaving him alone with Lindsay. Their surroundings fade to black. It's just the two of them. "I promise." Michael looks at Lindsay, who nods back at him, then disappears.

Michael falls to his knees, looking around at the leftovers from the house. The farm had been picked apart by animals by now. Any bodies that were here were long gone. The wood on the house had begun to rot, moss slowly growing over it. 

Alfredo's iron helmet remains on the ground, rust now forming over it, blending together with dried blood. "He needed it...he needed the armor more than me..." Michael sighs as he picks up the helmet and puts it on. The dried blood inside made him sigh, and quickly take off the helmet and gently set it back on the dirt beneath him.

Michael heads inside the house, the grass now up to his knees. The chests rotting away, falling apart. Michael sits on one of the decaying cots, taking in everything. He hadn't spent much time here, but he had relished in the memories he relieved when he stepped foot onto the farm. He thinks of all of his friends. He focuses on that, as his breathing steadies.

When he wakes up, it’s pitch black outside. The decaying smell filled his senses, driving him out of the house. He looked at the moon shining bright into the sky. It was almost comforting to have a bit of light. He spotted a hoard of zombies off in the distance. 

And he _knew_ what he needed to do. 

He turns back to the house, stabbing his dagger into the dirt and as he watched the moonlight shine off of it he’s filled with a sense of fondness. Michael carefully takes the tattered scarf off from his neck, wrapping it around the handle of the dagger. A night breeze went by, making the scarf wave in the wind. Michael smiles as he stands up, turning to the much closer zombie hoard. 

He begins walking towards them, but he stops himself. He spots Lindsay's Sap of Life, which now stood tall as a full grown tree. Michael smiles at it, a warm feeling found its way to Michael's chest. He turns to the zombies, then back to the tree. His eyes had never left that tree by time the hoard reached him.

Then he saw nothing.

Then he saw something.

* * *

This wasn't right, he should be dead.

Something was terribly wrong. 

Michael's eyes flung open. He was staring at the sky, his arms were still held up in defense. His mind takes a moment to catch up. The pain was dull, but it was still noticeable. He had faded scratches across his arms. He investigates his surroundings, slowly bringing himself to his feet. He was on a small island in the middle of a seemingly endless sea. 

His legs were stiff, barely allowing him to move. But he manages to force himself to step forward, stretching out his tense joints. Michael notices a makeshift house in the middle of the island. Or, actually it was just two walls barely being held up, leaning on each other for support.

Michael heard a shuffle behind him. He spins around on his heels, his gaze dashing all around him. He picks up a stick laying by his feet, and holds it above his head in defense.

"Who the hell is there?!" Michael snarls. A figure in a red cloak steps out, a sword in hand. Michael readies an attack, until the figure lowers the cloak, revealing his face. Michael stops dead in his tracks. 

" _Matt?!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well guys, we made it. Thank you all so much for sticking with me through the entirety of this story, despite everything that occurred along the way.  
> (And yes, I will be rewriting YDYD 2 if the ending is anything to go off of)  
> Love you all!  
> (Also thank you to my amazing editor @toepriv2 on Instagram for putting up with all 14 chapters!!!)


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